Summer 1221 - The Luminous Codex [Arduin]

[Keehnelf]

Gertrude peeks in and sees the same scene, noting still no sign of Arduin within. The woman moves about the space as if entirely oblivious to Gertrude's presence.

[Grognardsw]

Arduin crept over to the door, glancing at Gertrude, hoping she would distract the woman. But she seemed to be ignoring Gertrude.

The magus waited until the woman's head was turned to some cooking matter, then cracked the door open to peek inside.

[AleBelly]

Having seen the mage vanish, Gertrude will observe the unknown figure cooking. After 3-4 minutes (or until she sees the door crack), she will clear her throat loudly. She will take on the personage of Josephine Strummer the minstrel. "Pardon, m'lady. Are you OK? Did you notice the greenery growin' something fierce out there?"

[Keehnelf]

Gertrude watches the woman bustle about while Arduin moves invisibly along the back wall of the room toward the closed door. The woman keeps her eyes assiduously on the butcher block and her own hands, occasionally blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face or brushing a bit of dewy moisture from her brow with the back of a floury hand. She stops suddenly, just as Arduin comes alongside the stove. "Oh bother," she whines softly. "I do hope he's back soon. He's going to miss it while it's hot!"

To Gertrude's surprise, there is now a steaming fruit pie sitting on the countertop, where only seconds ago there were shapeless lumps of dough! The woman picks it up and brings it to a windowsill along the back wall of the cottage to cool. While she sways past him, Arduin looks over at the top of the stove and sees not pots or other cookware but a shapeless pile of ash, which seems odd for a kitchen surface. Taking a slightly closer look, he can see cracked and blackened shards of bone and shreds of scorched bark mixed in with the ashes.

Will Arduin continue on toward the door or stay here and investigate further?

[Grognardsw]

Intrigued at the kitchen concoction - clearly a culinary magical creation - but focused on his goal, Arduin continues to the door and at an opportune moment cracks open the door for a peek inside.

[Keehnelf]

Sorry for the delay posting--work/life has been wild recently.

Arduin scans the weird pile quickly, but elects to keep on, dismissing it as a manifestation of the fey's cooking impulses, and cracks the door. Peering inside, he sees what would be a relatively spacious room crowded with bookshelves, stands, and tables, all piled high with books and wooden crates. Once his eyes adjust to the dim lighting within, he sees that the nearest table has an aged crate, about two feet square, that sits with its lid removed, the bent nails still protruding from the slats that make up the lid. Bits of straw or frayed cloth can be seen sticking up slightly out of the open top.

At the far end of the room, a fireplace is mostly obscured behind piles of books and boxes, and on the neighboring wall a closed door is almost completely inaccessible due to the accumulated clutter.

[Grognardsw]

Assuming, or waiting until, the woman is distracted with her cooking or with Gertrude, Arduin slinked inside and gently closed the door.

The magus sighed. He was hoping there would be less books, making the search for the Luminous Codex quicker. Alas this many books would take time he likely didn’t have. The fey woman would have to be expelled.

Arduin approached the crate and looked in.

Based on the footprint of the cottage, and the size of the kitchen and this room, can Arduin tell if that door is likely into a closet or a room?

[Keehnelf]

The remaining area is probably a smallish bedroom.

Arduin slips into the room, letting the door close softly behind him, and moves over to the crate. It's hard to make out many details in the dim light, but he gets a powerful woody smell from the crate as he approaches, and he can make out the clear signs of arcane symbols inscribed on the inside of the crate lid.

[Grognardsw]

Is there a window in the north wall that lets in more light?

Wondering if the crate contained the mask, Arduin looked inside.

[Keehnelf]

There is a window in that wall, but the thick leaden glass is so grimy it doesn't allow much light. It's likely dirtier on the outside than the inside, but Arduin could choose to clean up the inside if he wants to see what happens.

Otherwise, he looks at the crate and its remaining contents and guesses, from the remnants of material he finds inside, that this was very likely the case in which the Mabon mask arrived at the estate.

[Grognardsw]

Arduin starts searching the room for the mask and any book with a luminous cover.

[AleBelly]

My turn to apologize...had a fun bout of cellulitis from scratching poison ivy. Do not do that!!!

Gertrude continues to observe the woman cooking. Seeing Arduin successfully slink into the next room, she will stand there silently, not bringing any attention to herself but not really trying to hide either. Gertrude is interested to see if the woman even acknowledges her presence.

[Keehnelf]

Arduin, go ahead and make a Per + Order of Hermes Lore check vs. an ease factor of 10 for spying out the book.

Gertrude watches the woman carefully but she doesn't even begin to acknowledge the older woman's presence. In fact, as Gertrude sees the door to the adjoining room slip open and then close again, the woman turns suddenly to watch it, then sighs. After a second, she crosses her arms and knits her brows in obvious frustration, then glances down at her ample bosom and starts to adjust the neckline of her dress, exposing as much skin as she reasonably can, then dishevels her hair a bit more.

[Keehnelf]

My turn to apologize...had a fun bout of cellulitis from scratching poison ivy. Do not do that!!!

Ugh, so sorry to hear that

[Grognardsw]

With the eyes of a trained scholar, Arduin assiduously but quickly scanned the spines and covers of the bookshelves and piles.

Arduin, go ahead and make a Per + Order of Hermes Lore check vs. an ease factor of 10 for spying out the book.

Per +1 Order of Hermes Lore +2 [1d10+3]=9+3=12

Does this also apply:

Here in the House, currently a Faerie Aura of level 2 holds sway, which provides a +1 to any magical tests (skill or ability checks) made here.

[Keehnelf]

No, this isn't a magical check, just a combination of observation and knowledge.

[Keehnelf]

Arduin, relying on the research he had done before departing the Covenant, recalls that the original text of the Luminous Codex was in a Germanic dialect, not Latin, and thus he is able to quickly eliminate most of the texts in the room with a single glance. After just a handful of moments, he has collected three books, any one of which might be the one he sought--but which would require additional examination to be sure.

Will Arduin spend the time here in the room to examine the books more closely, or stow them all to bring with him when he departs the cottage?

Sadly, in all his exploration of the room, he is unable to locate any other signs of the indicated mask.

Out in the kitchen, the woman begins to take uncertain steps toward the door to the library.

[Grognardsw]

Some questions to help in determining my next action:
If the books are put under my robe or in backpack, do they become invisible also?
Can the window be opened?
Does the other door have a lock (or keyhole)

[AleBelly]

Gertrude, seeing the woman move towards the room Arduin occupies, speaks up. "Madam, your works have filled the air with such pleasant aromas. Pray tell, what delights are you preparing? Are these prepared to welcome us as visitors?"