It has been a while since the journey to the village had resulted in learning that the Tor Academy Professor had been killed in a cult sacrifice and his research taken. Each member of the team coming into the Stacks is there because letters, and other weird things have been left for them. 'Do you want to solve the Curse?' Well come to the Archives! It has what you need. When entering in, the scholars look a bit perplexed, but lead them all the same to a research area that has been prepared. One remains with them, "I'm Marna," states the woman, while she rolls up some scrolls she has, "We have no idea how this was all... Set up, without our attention. Likely some kind of trick by the scholars here. Anyways, I don't believe all this nonsense about the ghosts at the 'curse' site that was mentioned, but... Well, you all have fun." A scroll is laid upon the table, it is a scroll like any other made with parchment, and it has on it ink that is detailed in a long cipher. A candle is laid out upon the table as well.

Fortunato has not heard much about the curse one way or another, prior to this, but the artist is easy enough to lure with cryptic letters. As long as it's the archives and not a darkened alleyway, somewhere. 'course. His eyes snap from Marna to scroll to candle. If anything, he looks delighted. "Hah! A cipher, is it. Good fun. What a fine way to spend a morning."

It's been a very long list of weird recently for Regla, and some mysterious letters and clues about some unknown, to her, curse might be enough to draw her to a location she otherwise frequents infrequently. She's bringing up the rear of the group, looking for all the world like she's questioning her own sanity in being here in the first place as Marna speaks.

When she received the discreet letter the morning after fevered dreams, Lady Arianna knew what she needed to do. Heading to the Archives of Vellichor, the Lycene maiden traipsed inside and followed a group of scholars and scribes towards The Stacks. She had been here many a time, but this time she came in her leathers and had her falcata sheathed on her thigh. Taking a seat at the table just as Marna was leaving, the young woman takes one look at the scroll and smacks her lips.

"Definitely not my forte..." Taking out a whittling knife, she worked on a piece of wood, her perceptive eye keeping watch on the comings and goings of the folk surrounding the table. Her job was to make sure the boogeyman didn't get any of these people, or the same folk who murdered the professor didn't also try and do the same thing tonight.

Dianna, by contrast, was perhaps paying far less attention to Marna than she ought to have been. What the woman said was registered with a nod and a small curtsy of thanks, her eyes instead having focused her attention on all of the books. It was her first visit to Arx, after all, and her first visit to the archives. (Really, there'd been very few times she'd even left Ostria, so perhaps a bit of gawking was understandable.) "Have you ever seen so many in all your life?," she asked Ian very softly, her tone hushed in a way that suggested she was either in awe or had been shushed many times by archivists and tutors as a child.

Ian is, fortunately, walking along pretty easily today. He still has the cane, of course, but otherwise. He looks calm, because he always looks calm, but it's a calm that's not shaded with amusement. There's a watchfulness in his electric blue eyes. He definitely isn't getting the awe about the books. "Books?" He asks Dianna.

Harmon hurries in, robes swaying and belt of many pouches jingling musically. His furtive eyes flit back and forth as he is shown the table where things were set up for this "curse."

"Shush, Di." Valerio deadpans, it is quickly ruined with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure you should remember rules about being loud in such places." Another chuckle and then the mans one-eyed face turns somber. "Well. Not the strangest thing I've had to deal with lately, but still. As the Lady said, not my forte. However." He reaches back with his right arm to unlimber his Warhammer from the baldric on his back. Mandate hefted properly, its half smacks into his left palm, as he shifts to take a position to the side where he can be watchful. "So who gets to be the brain... that hopefully does not get cursed themselves, go mad and try to attack or eat us or something."

Marna takes her time to look towards the scroll, "I'll back in a little while, I need to check in with the Disciples. I don't recall some of these books... Ever being here? Ah well, simply overlooked," she decides, as she walks on down the paths and out of sight as people arrive. The place feels a bit cold for it being a nice spring day, and the smell of musky scrolls seem to permeate the place. The candle flickers while shadows play upon the shelves. An idle wind (what?) catches the scroll and it trickles towards the candle, the flame catching the edge, and lighting the scroll on fire.

Fortunato glances over his shoulder to mark the small crowd. His forefinger is braced next to the edge of the scroll. "I don't mind taking a crack at it," he says, only to be interrupted by that hint of singe. "Ah, gods." He immediately tries to blow the fire out, or, failing that, damp it out between thumb and forefinger. No shame like a good riddle scorched away.

Fortunato checked stamina + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 6 lower.

Harmon twitches, opening his mouth to speak to the others when he arrives, right when a scroll is set on fire.

Ian turns up the collar of his battered leather coat when the wind kicks up. He starts towards the scroll when it lights on fire, with the instinct to pat it out with the thick sleeve of his jacket.

Ian checked stamina + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 20 higher.

"Of course books," she whispered up to Ian, giving him a sideways glance and shaking her head. "What else would I have possibly been referring to? The floor tiles?" Her words were teasing ones, though they sobered swiftly at her uncle's warning -- likely of madness, and not of quiet. She settled further into the sleeves of her dress, hoping, perhaps with more than a little futility, to ward off the archive's chill. As the scroll caught, she gasped, "Ohh, no!," and lunged towards Fortunato a moment too late. Ian had already stepped forward.

    The scroll is put out with Fortunato's action, but there is an issue when it seems that the wind flicks an amount of the flames towards his hand, catching it for a moment, then in warmth it dissipates for a moment. At that moment something else becomes clear, when those gathered look around, even while the flame licks at the sleeve and almost /smacks/ Ian's hand, as though it were alive, but that's just an illusion right... So is the fact that the stacks look longer than they did before. In fact, it almost looks like they're nowhere near where they remember being in the Archives! How fun! Exciting! Terrifying.

"I'm not the brain." Regi points out to Valerio when he asks about what brain is going to save them. She is decidedly not it. When Marna moves off she rolls her eyes, then glances towards the scrool. It's about a few seconds too late that she realizes the thing has caught on fire, and she takes a step forward, "Shit..."

An exasperated sigh leaves her lips as she peeks over at the others all trying to put out the fire. Arianna didn't say anything and it looked like the situation would get under control. She does however slide her feet off of the table, shifting in her seat a bit and crossing her legs as she furrowed a brow in slight concern. Shaking her head slightly she goes back to whittling and keeping an eyes on the area.

Ian takes moderate damage.

Fortunato hisses in his breath and shakes his hand, twice. He squints around the new milieu and sighs. "Can I get confirmation? Did our environment change or am I getting a bit of light distortion?"

Harmon says, "Spacial displacement.""

Harmon chews on his nails in thought. "Current location unknown. Possible illusion? Nnngg.. need to test." Harmon digs into his helt.

Ian's instinct when faced by a fire that's gone out of control is to extinguish it. He turns to blow the candle out. The flame flickers, but doesn't extinguish. When he lifts his hand to snuff it, however, the flame suddenly blasts out, impossibly high and hot, catching his hand full in the fire. Then it goes out, leaving Ian inspecting his scalded hand with no indication that it hurts. It looks like it should hurt.

"That went bad quickly." Valerio comments dryly. There is a faint shake of the head. "I'd say I told you so, but we all seem to have grasped thissssss? I didn't move, and we're. Elsewhere." His head turns in interesting angles to be able to look around with his good eye. "Uhm. Everyone ok otherwise?"

It's too maze-like in here to be certain," Dianna replied, squinting momentarily at the stacks to take a look at the spines and the scrolls. Was that the title she'd just been looking at in wonder a few moments ago? She couldn't be certain. But then the fire flared up and she announced in surprise, and a good bit of concern, "Ian!" as the man's sleeve went up and his hand was scorched.

Ian's sleeve is actually fine. It's leather. Thick leather. It's seen worse. His hand, on the other hand, is looking red. "It's not too bad," he decides. "If that was a trick candle, that was one hell of a trick." He doesn't sound like he thinks it was a trick candle.

Harmon walks in a circle around the table. "Nngg.. physics not working correctly. Possible illusion." Harmon takes three coins out of his pouch. He places one directly under the table where the scroll had been, then places one at the corner of the nearest stack, and places the third in between the two points. He then takes a rough measurement by just seeing how many lengths of his fingertip to his elbow would fit.

"Terrific. I was hoping for a pleasant morning deciphering, and now I'm on an adventure." Fortunato nonetheless manages to sound more curious than anything until Ian's hand gets thoroughly scorched. He startles. "Lord Ian!" Broader. "Is anyone possessed of some bandages? Salves?"

Now Arianna was getting a little miffed. Rising from her seat and pacing around, her eyes narrow at the scroll. "Really? We could be anywhere in this blasted place. They need exit signs or something, and honestly how long am I going to have to walk now to get out of this place?" Muttering about a lazy day she begins trying to gather her bearings. Turning to the others before looking to Regla. "Heeey do you think the scholars would be pissed if we climbed up to get a look?" A sheepish grin is plastered across her delicate features as she eyes the shelves, wondering if they can take her weight.

Harmon says, "Basic medical training. Show.""

Harmon gestures at Ian for the man to show his burnt hand.

Regla frowns, glancing around at everyone else that is gathered, her brows flicking upwards just a moment before she lifts a hand up, fingertips rubbing slowly at her forehead. When Arianna speaks to her she glances over, "Fucked if I know. Shit just caught on fire, and..." She waves her hand in the air, looking like she'd rather be anywhere but here.

"A handkerchief will do," Ian appends to Fortunato's question. He lets Harmon take a look at his hand, while looking around himself. And then, because someone has never seen Star Wars, he comments in an even, untroubled tone: "I have a bad feeling about this."

For one long moment, Dianna froze. Her brows furrowed. Her head turned, as though she was looking for someone -- or something. And then her face went pale. "Don't touch any of the other lights," she murmured, her voice at once quiet and firm.

"I repeat. I did not move. I did not have time to." Valerio comments in response to people getting lost easily. "I could not possibly have wandered to get lost and lose reference if I did not wander to start with. It's not like odd things have not been happening. People walking on the bottom of the ocean to help out Sea Elves and Mangata. Honestly..." Valerio shakes his head and resumes attempting to be vigilant, which now appears may be an exercise in futility.

Arianna's eyes flitted to Regla, and then to Dianna when she spoke. Seeing the woman on edge made her sigh and step a bit closer. Trying to peer over her shoulder and follow her line of sight. "Ummm...what are you doing? Do you see something?" She asks in a slightly high pitched voice, as if she is a bit excited and apprehensive at the thought. Then Valerio's comment earns him a glance before she shakes her head, shit had been a little off these days.

    The scroll has a scorched part of it, and it seems like whatever it is that the flame was doing is finished as it is out. All the same the place still looks different a bit, but it could be an illusion. All the same the place has such a similar look row upon row it's hard to discern if they actually are in a different place. Marna seems to know where what is in the place, but she isn't here at the moment. In the dim light the scroll has lettering that wasn't there before. "The shadows cast upon the wall, light engulfed so that all might fall. The first to last in the nightmare wake, and in the end, all shall it take".

Valerio seems to be having some kind of fun time, because from one of the shelves, crimson seems to drip onto his shoulder, and the unmistakable metallic scent of blood can be discerned.

Harmon applies a mixture of some sort of oily herbal paste to the burn, a mild numbing blend, before wrapping it in a bandage.

Fortunato has lost his larkish attitude, sobering once he looks from Harmon and Ian back to the scroll. He helpfully reads it aloud, and appends, less helpfully, "Sounds like a threat, more than a riddle. No more fire, any case. Any of you folk got context on this curse?"

Ian has enough experience with getting various injuries patched up that he sits patiently through the process. Once Harmon is done, he flexes his hand. "Thank you," he says to the other man. Maybe he hasn't realized what's going on, because he seems calm, still. Even when he catches the familiar scent of blood in the air.

Arianna checked wits + investigation at difficulty 20, rolling 11 higher.

Harmon checked wits + investigation at difficulty 20, rolling 31 higher.

"No," Dianna replied. "I thought... that I heard something." Her face darkened into a frown, one that etched its lines into her face. "Someone else may be in here with us." Which was, of course, a ridiculous thing to say. The Archives were large and full of scholars. Of course other people were in there with them! Weren't there?

"Why would anyone touch any other lights? Really..." Regla wonders, rolling her eyes just a bit, "The candle was to stop a fire." Right? She shakes her head, only pausing when that metallic, coppery scent of blood hits her nose and she starts looking around until she spots the crimson on Valerio's shoulder, "You seem to be bleeding."

Harmon says, "Mild narcotic. Hand will be number, heavier. Be mindful of collisions and sharps."

Harmon's head then snaps towards the scent of blood. "Bleeding? Why?"

Ari's eyes narrows slightly and she gives a slow nod as Dianna's exclamation is heard. "Ah. Wonderful." Drawing her falcata in one smooth action she answers Fortunato without looking at him. "Context, yes...this curse began when all the lights in a shrine blew out. Some village or another..." Shaking her head she tries to catch sight of whatever might be moving around there before looking to Regla. "Hey, I'm going to go and check it out. See if I can't find a scholar, if I'm not back in five minutes...don't come looking for me." She laughs and spins the alaricite blade in her hand and slips off toward the direction Dianna seemed to indicate.

Having donned his helmet for dealing with the great unknown. Valerio looks confused at Regla. "No I'm not." He looks to his shoulder where Regla had been looking and notes a drip. Then his eye travels upwards and fixates. "That. Is. New." Slowly does Valerio step away from his spot without moving his eye off the book. A book which as he points out to others, is currently bleeding. "Any clergy present?" Even the stoic Warmaster sounds slightly strained.

Ian having determined that A) Valerio does not appear to be bleeding to death, and B) there is nobody actively trying to make Valerio bleed to death, Ian looks down at the pommel of his cane. He gets a puzzled expression on his face and taps it against the ground a couple of times, then turns this way and that, still watching it.

Arianna checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 30, rolling 2 lower.

Arianna takes minor damage.

Harmon twitches again, tugging on his robes nervously. "Splitting up in spatially unstable area: Not good. Knowns... curse triggered in absence of light? Light seems to protest being extinguished.

"Not much to go on, but thank you," Fortunato notes over to Arianna before stepping away from the parchment and moving over toward Valerio. "Book that seeps, I see. I'm a disciple of Lagoma, not proper clergy. No true blessing here, and fire isn't our friend. Happy to study it, though."

Arianna checked dexterity + athletics at difficulty 25, rolling 5 higher.

"Priest? Not me...but I'm a disciple...not sure if that's the best we've got, and if it is, we're fucked." Regi points out as her eyes travel up towards the book, and she starts to draw her sword, moving towards Valerio, "Here...I'll try and drag it off the shelf..."

"Lady Regla, come take a look at this," Ian looks up at Regla. "... And maybe leave the bleeding book to... bleed."

"Great, just don't get any on you if you can help it." Valerio's eye flicks to whats on his armored shoulder. Mandate is kept in his right hand, his left tries to mop up the substance carefully from his armor before it starts seeping between joints and into the padding below the plate. "Just be careful, whoever does what."

    The book seems to be removed from the shelves with ease once Regla moves for it. Nothing else seems to happen on that side, and the book has an odd title. 'How To Bind Flesh Into Books'. Nothing unusual there, that's a common practice isn't it? All the same Arianna isn't right back as she said she would be.

Fortunato checked perception at difficulty 15, rolling 18 higher.

Fortunato glances down at the object once Regla dislodges it. "Charming," he says. He skirts a step back and looks over-shoulder and around. "We're missing Arianna," he says. "Who saw her last?"

As Valerio dabbed at his shoulder, Dianna moved to his side. Stretching up onto her toes, she peeked down at the crimson spot, though made no move to touch it. She was, after all, familiar enough with the Guardian's armor to hopefully discern whether or not it was having any unpleasant effects on the material. "Hold still, Uncle," she murmured to the man. "You're making too many shadows for me to see."

Harmon has rolled a critical success!
Harmon checked wits + riddles at difficulty 15, rolling 12 higher.

"What?" Regi wonders, dealing with the book with the very blasphemous manner of leaving it on the floor once not on the shelf, glancing towards Ian to see what he's calling her attention towards. Which leads her to start heading in that direction, "If it's another bleeding book...."

Ian taps his cane on the floor a couple more times, then, since Regla is otherwise occupied, he decides to deal with whatever it was, later. He looks to Valerio. "She's not back. You or me?"

After she slipped away from the others, their voices grew quiet and distant. She "circled" the area and found nothing, turning back around she starts to head back. Only realizing that back is relative and she can't seem to find her way. Sighing and shaking her head she rolls her eyes,"Fuck this. Really. Of all days...stupid curse...moving bookshelves....weird teleportation bullshit." Attempting to clamber up the bookshelf, she almost makes it to the top before tumbling down. Landing square on her back, she rolls out of the way to avoid her falcata which sticks into the ground by her head. Taking the thing up and sheathing it, she is more careful this time. Clambering up to get her bearings. She manages to spot the exit but has no idea where the hell everyone else is. An eerie feeling of impending bad mojo makes her jump down and head toward the exit.

Harmon says, "...hm. Warning."

Harmon taps on the scroll, loudly for the others.

Fortunato glances over-shoulder at Harmon. "Can you expound?"

"Yes yes. I am holding still." Valerio suits words to action, ensuring he is quiet and still. At Ian's question, Valerio gives it a brief thought. "I hate to leave, but it should be me. I'm more armored and mobile. You're fairly quick on the spot, so..." He looks to Dianna and speaks softly. "Keep on your toes, smack a table leg off if you have to."

Harmon says, "The shadows cast upon the wall, light engulfed so that all might fall. The first to last in the nightmare wake, and in the end, all shall it take. Warning, likely to stay in light. Curse is.. nngg. Curse is prepared, possibly. Set on an area, unclear on trigger. This must not be actual curse."""

Ian nods to Valerio and lets him go, with a final: "Be careful. Something is messing up the compass in my cane." He looks to Dianna, and quirking a brief smile, deadpans: "Welcome to Arx."

Regla's not so busy with the book that she can't tell Ian was trying to get her attention for something, although she let's that ride for a moment, turning towards Harmon to give him a strange look. Then she glances at Dianna, "Can you use a knife? If you can, I can spare mine. And Ian...what were you needing?"

    The book seems to be a book, and when people look at it, there doesn't seem to be blood on it this time. Though Valerio's shoulder would beg to differ. All the while it seems that things aren't going well for the team at this time. There is a sense that all of them feel, one that tells them not to leave the area. One that urges them not to. Meanwhile...

Arianna manages to make it towards the exit, but before she can exit Marna steps out from behind one of the shelves, and looks to the Stonewood woman, "Ah, there you are! I was just heading back to help you all!" she states, and then moves past her and seems to be able to lead the woman right back to the others if she follows. Oddly enough, with much ease. "How are things going?" she asks once she gets there.

Ian shows Regla his cane.

Harmon freezes, refusing to step out of the light and leave what may very well be an oubliette.

"So, stay in the light. Fair enough." Fortunato trundles back more central and seems happy enough to spot Arianna when she re-emerges with Marna. "Greetings, Scholar. Bit cryptic, bit spooky around here. Bleeding books and the like. But you were able to find us, what a fine sign that is."

"It doesn't seem to be doing anything more than leaving a mark," Dianna announced to him, sinking back down onto her heels. But then he was volunteering to disappear into the darkness, to which Dianna replied, "At least bring one of the lanterns, if you can." And then, adding, "Please." But whatever else she might've sad to Valerio was cut short by Ian's comment, by Regla's question, and by the sudden appearance of Marna -- who she looked at with faintly narrowed eyes. "I'm far better with a larger weapon, my lady," she answered to the Sword of Navegant, whose name she didn't yet know. "But can manage if need be."

Now yes, the Lady Stonewood was startled by Marna. However she doesn't stab her, which is most definitely good. A nervous laugh escapes her as she gives a bit of side eye to the Scholar. "Marna, has anyone ever told you that you're creepy as fuck?"

Harmon every so often looks down to heck the coins he had placed, to see if the distance between them shifts again.

Harmon attempts to read the blood-dripping book, since that usually ends well.

Having prepared to drag the head of his Warhammer along to mark his progress. Valerio pauses upon the edge of the light, nodding back to his Niece. "Good, thank you. Also a good point, but I wouldnot deprive the group of safety." Then there is Marna and Arianna. Quickly Mandate is jerked upwards, and his hand slaps back onto the haft to keep the head off the floor before he gets a librarian-lecture.

Regla indicates the sword in her hand, "Only one I've got available." She replies, but pauses to look down at Ian's cane, her brows flicking upwards a bit, "What..." She then shakes her head before she pulls her dagger, offering it over to Dianna, "Never seen that shit happen before, Ian...But I'm going to guess that's not good."

    Marna takes a moment to look at the book, and then the situation at hand. She acts like she notices nothing, "Uh, what?" she asks. She doesn't see any such thing! Perhaps the obfuscation keeps minds like hers from it.

Fortunato raises a finger. "Aha! We must be under an illusion."

    Marna also adds, "I'm not creepy," to Arianna, with a frown. And then squints at Fortunato with a lift of her brow and shake of her head.

Ian taps his cane on the ground a couple more times and then, giving up, looks up at Marna and considers her.

Arianna is not sold, not one bit. Marna was indeed able to come and go while she hadn't been so lucky amongst other things. "Scholar, I find it perhaps a bit odd that you've been around the scroll and not succumbed to the effects. Even if what we're experiencing is an illusion, what keep you from suffering from it?" Gesturing back the way they came,"Also your timing was a little too perfect, it /could/ be divine providence but I'd like it if you stuck around this time." Standing by her side, Ari slips an arm around the woman's neck and draws her toward the scroll. "Marna...have you touched it? Examined it at all? Have any theories in that lovely brain of yours? Forgive me for my apprehension and you are absolutely right! You're not creepy...no....of course not."

Ian checked wits + empathy at difficulty 25, rolling 16 lower.

Harmon reads through the book, in particular to search for curses that affect space or incorporate darkness into their elements.

Merek GM Roll checked charm(4) + manipulation(3) at difficulty 15, rolling 23 higher.

"Thank you," Dianna said with a sharp nod as she took the dagger and slipped it into her belt. As for Marna, the Mazetti woman's eyes slipped over to Arianna at her line of questioning. As it seems as though she had no response to their strange situation, the options were either that she was lying, or she really wasn't affected by any of it. So she asked quite directly, "Alternatively, have there been any strange occurrences in the Archives lately? You had already mentioned that this desk and parchment seemed to have set itself up of its own accord."

Ian remembers that he's shit at reading people and leaves that to someone else. :P

Regla shrugs her shoulders at Ian, clearly having no guesses on this. When others start asking questions she just settles in to wait, looking around and squinting her eyes at everyone.

Arianna checked mana + survival at difficulty 25, rolling 0 higher.

Fortunato is unfortunately also shit at reading people. He doesn't try. He leans up against the table and posits, "I'm sure we're all friends here. I think we're just looking for a little reassurance that being in the same room as this scroll isn't going to fuck us over."

    Marna looks at Arianna and considers her for a moment, "You know, I can have the Guards take you outside," she tells the woman, "Don't think your position means anything here." Said in a way that seems to be... Different. Harmon receives little else from the book, and then the scrolls second line reveals itself to those there. "Kill the Disciple of Vellichor, and all shall be revealed. Her blood, a sacrifice for the TRUTH." She doesn't seem to notice this though, or does she, it is difficult to tell!

Ian walks over to check out the place on the shelf where the not bleeding book (that was totally bleeding) came from. Cheerfully -- or at least serenely -- clueless as to what's now written on the scroll.

Harmon snaps the book shut and places it on their current "work table." When he's placing the book down, he notices the new line.

Regla's avoided the scroll, and so doesn't notice the new line, either.

Harmon, for his part, has no interest in hiding information. "This scroll says we should kill the disciple of Vellichor, and all will be revealed. Asking for blood sacrifice for the truth."

For a second, Dianna blinked. And then blinked again. And then her eyes squeezed tightly closed. Whatever it was that she thought she was shutting out, it certainly wasn't helping, and eventually both of her hands flew up to cover her ears protectively. Her face tightened into a painful wince.

Arianna making a sucking noise with her teeth while she stares into Marna's eyes. Staring her down for a moment she nods, and smiles stepping away from her but not before whispering something to the young woman. Patting her lightly on the stomach before moving a few steps away. "Marna why would you have the guards remove me while I might still be under the influence of the scroll? I think it'd be a poor decision on your part. We're just trying to get to the bottom of this and I'm worried that you've fallen under the sway of Abyssal influences. I can sense it rolling off of you." The falcata is in her hand again, and all eyes remain on the scholar.

"Your guards, would likely regret life if they attempted. Regardless of position." Valerio comments dryly, the spiked warhammer lightly bouncing up and down in his palm as if it hardly weighs anything to the man. Then there is the scroll being read. "Yes, well. We're not doing -that- either." Then he's turning his head towards Dianna. "Di? Dianna?!" Valerio stalks towards his niece to give her a shoulder shake with his left hand.

"Also skeptical of bargain." Harmon nods to Valerio. "But.. hm. Interesting trap. Blood needed for power, first assumption. Who's power?" Harmon paces.

Ian looks towards Dianna when she suddenly puts her hands to her ears. He takes a couple of steps in her direction, but Valerio's going to be faster, because Ian can neither run nor dart quickly anywhere. When all he does is shake her shoulder, however, he does walk over there.

Fortunato glances at Harmon, glances at the scroll, glances over at Marna and Arianna. To the latter, especially. "You sense the Abyss?" he asks. It's a touch of a prompt. He indicates the scroll with the back of his hand. "Regardless of whether she's dabbled in darkness or not, I've no interest in following the murder dictates of parchment. Marna. Let us know why a scroll wants to kill you?" His attention strays to Dianna with a quick whisk of concern. For a moment.

Regla frowns a bit, "I imagine doing anything this weird shit tells us to do would be inadvisable." Regla points out as she glances towards Marna, then towards Dianna, "But finding some way out of here does sound good..."

"Can't you *hear* that?!?!," Dianna asked, both of her amber eyes snapping open as Valerio grabbed her by the shoulder. Still, her hands didn't move and her fingers curled, tightly, to keep whatever it was out -- which made all the more likely she'd never hear what her uncle or Ian had to say to her anyway. "They're screaming. It... it's screaming."

    Marna does not know how to react to this at all, she seems confused for all appearances, "Wait, what? You all are crazy," she tells them. She then raises up one hand to pull a book from the shelves, for at first what seems like no reason at all. It's hard to tell what she's planning to do with it, as she flicks it open then!

Arianna peers over to Fortunato and gives him a singular, assertive nod. "As a matter of fact yes. Something was messing with my head...you all wonder about the curse well here's my thoughts. This woman isn't a Scholar. She's an agent of Vellichor's Dark Reflection and the scroll is a warning. There's a lot going on that I can't explain but this creature has us trapped and will probably turn us against each other...perhaps she gains power from fear or desperation." When Marna draws the book, Ari holds Eclipse in a steady grip, her eyes flicking over to Valerio and gesturing toward Marna.

Harmon looks towards Marna, then nods. "Enemy."

Ian gets to where Dianna and Valerio are. "I'll stay with her," he tells Valerio. "Do you think you can put the woman over there down until we can get all of this figured out?" Yes, Marna can hear him. No, this is not a concern for him at the moment.

Merek GM Roll checked dex(4) + small wpns(2) at difficulty 15, rolling 15 higher.

Fortunato cants his head toward Arianna. "Get all that from a sniff? Scroll may be a warning, but I'm not real excited to open someone up on the archives on a hunch. Like to try avenues beside bloodletting first, hm?"

    Marna holds up the book like it were a shield when there is a woman with a blade out at her, then she hears the other people. Her confusion gets the better of her, and she throws the book at Arianna, literally. She then shouts really loudly, "I WILL GET THE GUARDS!"

Arianna checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 15, rolling 27 higher.

"Maybe you're just saying things to make people scared." Regla points out to Arianna, "How do we know what you are saying is truth?" She then slants a look at Ian, "Right? Maybe...it could happen, right? I'll knock her out if you want, but if guards do show up, it's just going to look bad for us."

Arianna checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 15, rolling 39 higher.

Merek GM Roll checked dex(4) + dodge(2) at difficulty 15, rolling 13 higher.

Valerio checked command + leadership at difficulty 20, rolling 31 higher.

Arianna doesn't spare a glance to Regla before she shakes her head. "Really?!" Side stepping the book, the young woman rushes forward and attempts to catch her with the flat of the falcata's blade. Though the woman is wily and tries to dodge away, the resulting smack and crunch is awful loud. When she falls to the floor in crumpled head, Arianna smiles down to her and tilts her head. "Well. That takes care of that." Sheathing her blade she turns around and shrugs. "She'll be fiiiiine."

Harmon says, "Fell a bit easily for a secret murderer."

Regla checked stamina + survival at difficulty 50, rolling 13 lower.

"Well." Fortunato glances back at the scroll. "I suppose she can't curse us if she was going to, but now what."

"If I could -hear- it, I wouldn't bloody well be wondering why your hands are on your ears!" Valerio has spoken up for Dianna's benefit. Ian's approach is met with a raised eyebrow just barely visible from within the helm. A sharp nod and he turns to observe the scene unfolding. "Get ahold of yourself, Woman. The Gods walk the lands again, an area of your archives sets itself up, and you wish to antagonize us? We're trying to help. Now -sit down-, stop babbling, be helpful, forget the bloody guards, or so help me, you'll catch the flat of this thing, and be nice and breathless for..." Well the woman is down now. Valerio heaves a sigh. "Please tell me, she is -not- bleeding?"

"Really." Regla replies to Arianna with a shrug of her shoulder, then she looks towards the woman on the ground, taking a step towards her. There is a frown that passes over her face, her jaw clenching just a bit as she shifts her grip on her sword as she starts to move in that direction, looking for all intents and purposes like she's ready to do more than just leave the woman in peace.

Ian lets Valerio take command of the situation, something that's also not his forte. He takes Dianna by both shoulders and looks her full in the face with the full force of his attention. His electric gaze is level an impossibly calm. "Look at me. Dianna. It's alright." He can't do anything about whatever she's hearing, but he's going to try to calm her down enough to handle hearing it.

Fortunato points at Regla, over-aggressively considering he's quite a bit smaller and slighter. "No, no, don't! Leave her alone. Let the Faith sort this out."

Regla checked stamina + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 9 lower.

There was a shuddering draw of her breath as she tried to make sense of what Valerio had said, and then Ian's hands were on her. She dredged up his eyes to meet his for a moment. Finally, finally, Dianna dropped her hands from her ears and instead stood frozen for a few seconds, staring at what appeared to be a rather crumbled pile of scholar. She had, apparently, missed a bit of the conversation what with all of that hands trying to block out sound bit and all that. "Ohhh, gods, please tell me they didn't kill her because of the screaming...."

Harmon says, "Stop! Right now!" Harmon drops down over Marna for first aid and to make sure the woman isn't currently dying."

Arianna looks down at the woman, to Regla and Fortunato and then shrugs. "She's not going to die. It was just a ridiculously hard blow to the sternum. Now she may have a cracked rib or two but she'll be fiiiiiine." The situation seems to be focused a lot on the woman, so Ari props her up against a bookshelf and puts a book in her hands. "She could have fallen asleep reading...now let's focus on this curse right? Does anyone want to test the theory we can't get out of here until she's dead? I mean it's a one off but right now we have to focus on figuring out this curse. Burning the scroll? Removing the scroll from direct lighting? Or...we slit her throat and let Vellichor free us from this mini pocket dimenion of the Abyss."

Does she want to? Yes...very much. But then again, she doesn't want to. The struggle seems to be visible in her expression for those few steps before she lifts the sword that has been in her hand, "No..." It's hard to say if Regla is saying no to Fortunato, or no to herself, or the situation, or anything else. But she isn't stopping, even when people are yelling at her to, instead she lifts that sword and starts to swing it towards the woman's neck, only pulling up when there's an actual other body in the way.

It does not look like Marna is in a wonderful situation, and she does seem to have blood which is dripping from her mouth. As Regla's blade moves downwards, others move to stop her, it seems like the woman will be killed, except for the fact Harmon is now in the path. This causes the blade to strike towards him but with much less force, granted enough to possibly scratch him. A couple of the lanterns flit out around them making the place become darker.

"Vengeance for *what?*," Dianna whispered, to... Ian? No, it couldn't be Ian, as Ian hadn't said a word. So to no one in particular, it seemed. Wonderful. The woman was apparently losing her mind.

Harmon hisses from the pain, then places his head on Marna's sternum.

Harmon says, "Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. IDIOT!"

"Augh, what are you doing?" Fortunato draws both hands over his forehead, sidestepping toward Marna and Regla and the whole group. "First choice is not murder! No! You want a test, fine." He moves over to the desk to grab the scroll. He's a little guy, it's what he can do.

Harmon looks to Arianna. "Killing blow. Bone shards from sternum likely caused internal bleeding."

Ian shakes his head, and with dry humor that's now treading on sarcasm territory, says to Dianna. "Apparently we're now murdering people because a scroll tells us that we should." To Valerio, he says: "Take Lady Regla's weaopon. And Lady Arianna's, if she doesn't move away from Marna."

Valerio checked command + leadership at difficulty 20, rolling 3 higher.

Ari stands up and shakes her head,"She's probably not dead and this could be part of the illusion. I have no desire to kill or harm anyone else here. I think we need to restrain Regla. She's being influenced by whatever is going on here." To demonstrate her level headedness, she steps away from Marna and gestures for everyone else to do the same. "Stay calm. We'll get through this if everyone keeps their heads." Slowly she moves towards the scroll, peering down at it while everyone else is busy with the Regla/Marna situation. Running the blade along her palm she drips her blood onto the scroll, just a bit to see what happens.

Harmon wasn't the target, but Marna was beneath him, and Regla starts to continue, until she hears what the man says. As soon as it's said something happens, and she takes a sudden step back, eyes widening before she drops to her knees, looking like no threat any more. She drops her blade, but places her hands on it as she starts to pray, looking disturbed by the entire thing, but whatever it is, she's praying to Gloria for forgiveness and guidance.

Harmon's eyes widen when blood is offered to the scroll. "Not recommended! Not recommended!"

"Enough!" A quick flick of the wrist and Mandates head slams into the floor. "Now we have done specifically what the scroll wanted, does any one else see this as an issue?" Valerio looks from person to person with his one eye. "Lady Regla, please. Your weapons at this time. -Now-. Oh good you dropped it. Noone touch it!" A look to Arianna. "You make a good point. Please sheathe your weapon regar-what in the gods are you doing, woman?! STOP."

Ari taps Fortunato's shoulder quietly while everyone else is yelling. "Hey let me see this really quickly. I'm going to take a look at it, try to solve this little problem and then if nothing else, hand it back to you because you've not lost your mind like the others."

Harmon seems slightly offended by Ari's words. "Mind perfectly intact. Always like this."

Fortunato checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 0 higher.

"What are you going to do with it?" Fortunato asks. He takes another step back, through the stacks. "Because you've been talking a violent game, and you've done that woman enough damage already on relatively little information."

Ian checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 8 higher.

So much for Dianna remaining calm. Whatever it was that was happening now, she didn't even try to make sense of. Instead, she let out a sudden cry -- not as though she'd been startled, but as though she were in pain. Her face screwed up, her hands clapped over her ears, but even that wasn't enough to dull it. Slowly, the Lycene woman doubled over as though she were going to sink to her knees at any moment. "It's not enough!," she cried out. Enough? Enough what?

Regla's praying, until the commotion starts and her eyes open, glancing around to look towards Dianna, staring at her before she then looks at Valerio, her expression turning grim, "I'm not going to stab anyone...I didn't /want/ to stab her. But then...I did."

Arianna shakes her head slowly,"She's not as bad as she looks. Everyone else can't see without their minds being addled. She's unconscious, not dead. Regla has succumbed to the influence of terrible forces and I have not been talking a violent game. When one encounters enemies of the Faith then one has to do what they must. Even if that means elimination by execution. Fortunato...please let me see the scroll?" Her voice is calm and she seems concerned for Fortunato, but not overly aggressive or anxious. Just hopeful.

The cry makes Ian start, and his jaw tightens. But his voice is level when he goes back to trying to calm Dianna down the same way he did before. "Look at me. It's alright. I know it hurts, but you're alright."

"Tell me what you're doing," Fortunato says, his voice firming. "A moment ago, you were talking about slitting throats, and we still have only your word she's an enemy of the Faith." He's still edging toward the other side of the stacks, on a slow route toward removing the scroll entirely.

Valerio checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 11 higher.

Harmon crosses the dead Marna's arms over herself, then stands up. "All of you noticed lights extinguishing upon death, yes?"

Grinding her teeth with impatience, Arianna looks to him then. "If I was not myself and I wanted her dead why wouldn't I have just cut her down? Why would I be hoping that you'll come to your senses and help me stop this when I could just kill you and take the blasted scroll? I'm going to destroy it...The scroll shows up suddenly and then the disappearances start happening. You think it's actually a cipher meant to be solved? Or could it be a cursed object that needs to be destroyed?!" She is still slowly advancing on him, her blade is sheathed but she seems intent on dealing with the scroll.

Of all them gathered there, Valerio is probably the least likely to suddenly hop sideways as if startled. He swallows hard and counters. "Like hell you do. Besides, that's gotten to be a longer list." Yes. Valerio just talked to air. Looking around. "Sorry. Whatever the presence -is-, it just tried to... threaten me." He then points at Harmon. "Yes." Of course a one eyed man is going to notice lights going out.

    Blood pools out from Marna even further while she is laid upon the floor. The scroll has but two messages on it deciphered so far, and it seems like most folk are not in the best situation. That's when there is a sound, and it seems like it's coming from one of the directions of the end of the current shelves. The place starts to feel quite unwelcoming, though there is this feeling that no one should leave right now. Another lantern seems to extinguish, and it feels as if each time that happens, something is coming around the corner.

"Fuck." Regi mutters, shifting back to sit on her haunches, although she leaves her sword flat on the ground in front of her for the moment, eyes shifting towards Valerio, then the sounds. At that, well, she reaches for her sword once more, starting to straighten up with a frown, "What's...that."

Harmon says, "Then listen. Scroll is currently only thing on our side. Warned us about the dark.""

Harmon says, "Marna died, lights go out. Voice tells lady that it's not enough, more blood.""

Fortunato checked perception at difficulty 15, rolling 10 higher.

"I feel like the doctor is making some good points," Ian says, his tone calm, while he turns towards the source of the sound. He twists the pommel of his cane, there's a soft click, and a long, wicked looking steel blade slides out. He's putting himself between Dianna and whatever it is.

Harmon says, "Only priority now is to create light.""

Ian wields Heavy Cane.

Arianna laughs,"Yes the scroll is our ally. After it told us to kill the woman? Truly..." Shaking her head and pursing her lips she reaches out towards Fortunato for the scroll. "The Voice, the scroll. It's all the same shit. It's in your heads fucking with you! Give me the scroll Fortunato. You know it's evil!"

"I have /no reason/ to give you the scroll. You've not shown yourself /remotely/ trustworthy," Fortunato says with fury and, perhaps feeling pinned, moves to rip the scroll in half.

Ian holds the sword with what can only be described is efficient elegance. The idea of a weapon becoming an extension of the self is so oft-repeated that it's a cliche, but it finds life in Ian. Armed, he looks as though he's recovered a piece of himself. He's quiet for a moment, and then, with an edge of stubbornness in his voice, says: "Doctor, would you mind using the lit lantern to re-light the other ones?"

Harmon says, "It didn't tell us to kill the woman. The presence that's speaking to all of us is manipulating us to see that message. Tone is entirely different. Separate authors.""

"Water!" Regi shouts out, suddenly, staring at the air for a moment, "Not blood....WATER!" Because, what? Right. It totally makes sense if one were only in her mind, "Use water!"

"I have /no reason/ to give you the scroll. You've not shown yourself /remotely/ trustworthy," Fortunato says with fury and, perhaps feeling pinned, moves to rip the scroll in half. But at the last moment, the very last, before the scroll can fray, he holds the scroll up, and spits.

"Water," she said, her features smoothing, suddenly becoming not pained, but a hard and steely mask. "Water!," Dianna cried again, louder now.

Arianna notes what he is about to do and shrugs,"Water." She proclaims in a soft voice at first, but then she yells again. The same thing.

"Maybe we should have just let it burn." Valerio comments while turning in a slow circle to keep his one eye on... everything. Warhammer at ready, then his head rocks to the side and he laughs. "Ha! Brandy." Apparently he was not the only one to get the message.

"Nngggg! Fine, water!"

Harmon says. Then, he looks to Valerio. "The voice demanded I choose between blood or water."

"So did mine." Valerio comments quietly.

Harmon pauses a moment and thinks on Valerio's words. "Smart. Or very dumb." He nods.

Fortunato's dramatic exclamations were bordering paranoia. Rolling her eyes a bit she just steps away from him and crosses her arms. "Calm down man. Good Gods. I tried to knock the woman out and yes I have a morbid sense of humor but I'm not going to harm anyone without just cause." Muttering under her breath she moves closer to Marna, looking down at her. "The fuck do they make these things out of these days? Fucking parchment paper? I'm not /that/ strong..." The young Lady slowly lifts her hands and examines them, looking back to Marna and then her hands. "I've killed a lot of people and never ever seen anything like that. It can't be real...can't be."

Fortunato checked stamina + survival at difficulty 80, rolling 65 lower.

Ian checked stamina + survival at difficulty 80, rolling 59 lower.

Regla checked stamina + survival at difficulty 80, rolling 55 lower.

Arianna checked stamina + survival at difficulty 80, rolling 48 lower.

Harmon checked stamina + survival at difficulty 80, rolling 59 lower.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Harmon before departing.

Dianna checked stamina + survival at difficulty 80, rolling 63 lower.

Fortunato takes moderate damage.

Arianna takes serious damage.

Regla takes moderate damage.

Valerio takes moderate damage.

Dianna takes moderate damage.

Ian takes moderate damage.

Arianna wields Eclipse.

    The whole place seems to have a different cast to it, and the sound as though something is coming around the corner. Just then as whatever it is might be seen, no one is able to keep aware enough to notice it. There is pain, people feel it in different ways. Arianna feels it as though she were shanked right in the gut with a deep strike, Ian as though someone sliced into his ankle, Dianna as though someone cuffed her ear and tore into it, Fortunato as though his wrist were bent, Regla as though she had slashed sideways, Harmon as though he'd been shanked in the back. Then all of them pass out, into the endless void. Blood. Fire. What does it all mean? What was it all for? The fighting, the lights, the darkness, what came, what transpired?

Then eventually, one by one each of them awaken. Upon the table a candle is lit and it seems like the scroll is settled there, a different one. The parchment has a sheen to it, and beautiful writing in the Arvani language, detailing a ritual. The place smells like musty parchment and it all looks like it did when first they came, save for the different of the scroll. Blood wounds mark where they felt as though they were hurt before falling. Marna comes back and looks at them upon the ground, blinking confusedly, "... Why are you all on the ground? This is the Stacks, not a sleeping area, some people. Are you almost finished? It is time to head back out."

Ari pops up after the nightmare or fever dream, taking to her feet quickly and checking herself over. Her stomach hurts but she slowly moves towards the table and reaches out for the scroll. Stopping for a moment and peeking over her shoulder at Marna. "Ummm....could you put this in a scroll tube for me please?" A bright smile touches the young woman's lips.

Harmon groins and rolls on his side, attempting to touch where an unbearable spike of pain is felt in his back.

Once Arianna is no longer cornering Fortunato, he seems to take her eyeroll skeptically, with a carefully sharp, "You know I don't know you--" But then it's all ended, crowded up and crushed up, and awakening, well, fed up. He lifts his sprained wrist with a quiet "fuck" of disgust. A disgust which is nonetheless for Arianna's bright commandeering.

As soon as Regla begins to wake, she starts to push herself up off the ground, looking unhappy about the entire thing, and moving more stiffly than usual. "Fuck this..."

Ian sits up, blinking. He collects his cane, which I'm going to assume is back to being a cane again.

Dianna was not so swift to rise. To rouse, certainly, but when she woke, it was to the distinct feeling of a throbbing, aching pain in her head. And what appeared to be more than a little blood coming from her ear and matted to a bit of her hair. And so the first thing she does is reach up to feel that spot, carefully, gingerly, as though afraid she might feel something far softer than skin and bone under her fingers. When she doesn't, she rises up to sit, her hand immediately going to her forehead as though her world was a bit swimmy.

As Fortunato makes his contempt quite clear, Arianna puts her hands up. "I meant put /this/ in a scroll tube please. It's got to be handled with care Master Fortunato. I'm not going to sequester away it's secrets from the world. I just thought it a bad idea to leave it here, and to touch it with our bare flesh...you know. Just in case." She crosses her arms and looks at him like he's got a wild hare up his arse. "My apologies if I've caused upset."

    Marna waits while people wake up, and puts the scroll in a case for them. "Follow me then," she tells them, and shakes her head. People! What to make of them. "I hope you all found what you were looking for? By the way, you all look like you're a bit... Ill, you should seek out Lady Rey, she's a Mercy. I think all these musty scrolls might be making people sick from the smell." She pulls out the book that was originally about flesh, and it states... It's a cookbook. "Huh, I could use this." She motions for others to follow.

Ian uses the table to pull himself to his feet. He doesn't look like he's hurt, or in any kind of pain.

Harmon rolls to his feet.

"Are you really sorry," Fortunato says, and draws himself up. "Next time. My lady. If there is a next time. Just tell me what you want to do. Don't indicate you could just kill me if you were really a bad person. I don't find that persuasive." With that, he's moving on past.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Harmon before departing.

Harmon shakes his head. "Terrible. Was trapped and clueless. My worst work." He seems livid at himself, and follows Marna as requested.

Ian checks to make sure Dianna's alright. "I'm going to go have a drink," he tells her. "Or three."

    Marna leads the people from the team to the front of the Archives, and then makes sure the scroll is handed off to be used when it's needed. For now she takes her time to watch the people go on, and then decides to turn back towards the Stacks. "You'd think they would have figured it out, what it all was, how it was completed, oh well... At least they have what they wanted. Good thing I'm a gracious person," she states, shaking her head and sighing. "Their blood price is paid at least, for the knowledge and power."