Alter Aeon The Great Library

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AABN:  48340
Title: the Quest for the Silver Halberd, part 10

The Quest for the Silver Halberd, part 10

by Sparity Ket, Captain of the Order of the White Knights

With the enemies defeated, the party took a good look around.  There was a
thin crack in the ceiling above the table that allowed the chilling winds
outside to swirl into the room, keeping it cold and drafty.  Every so
often, oily flakes of dirty snow found their way into the room, drifting
down to settle on the floor.  The party sifted through the dead enemies'
belonging but found little of value except whatever coins they happened to
be carrying at the time of their demise.

There were dishes set on the table, although ancient and cracked, that
appeared to be of high quality.  They found goblets and all sorts of
cutlery, fashioned of fine albeit tarnished silver.  Glass-doored cabinets
displayed a variety of china, glassware and the like.  They were filthy and
some pieces were cracked and chipped.  They party set aside anything that
looked valuable with the intention of taking it with them when they were
ready to go.

They were not yet ready, however.  Since the spellcasters no longer had any
spells at their disposal, the party decided to find a place to rest. 
Deciding to forego exploring the interior of the keep, they instead
returned to the kitchen, where they found two more rooms to the west.  The
first appeared to be a larder, or what was once a larder.  The room was
dominated by a large storage rack that ran the length of thereof.  Smoked
meats and preserved foods were stacked haphazardly on the shelves, many sho
wed signs of mold and rot.  Although the cold seemed to have kept the flies
at bay, they could see small centipedes and beetles crawling in the
foodstuffs.  The smell of the place was unbearable, so they checked out the
other room.

The first thing they noticed was the ornate wooden rack secured to one
wall.  An assortment of wine bottles littered its many compartments, and
shards of glass could be found all over the floor.   A dozen or so rats
vanished into the walls with squeals protests at the group's intrusion, but
none of them were large enough to pose a threat.  It appeared to be a safe
place for now.  They got to work clearing the floor of debris and
barricaded the door with the wine rack, tables from the kitchen and chairs
fr om the dining hall.  It was well into the night before they rested. 
They took turns keeping watch, but nothing bothered them, and before they
knew it, it was afternoon of the next day.  Zorat sampled some of the wine
during his watch, and, determining that it was good, slipped the remaining
unbroken bottles into his pack.

While Kenwick, Silliriun and Zorat prepared their spells for the day,
Justice invited Jamarkas to pray with him.  While he found the notion a bit
silly, he decided it was better to have the goddess of Mercy's favor than
to not.  It wasn't long until they were all ready to proceed, so they made
their way back to the dining hall see what lay beyond through the open
corridor to the west, which would bring them roughly to the center of the
keep.

Sunlight now poured through the various cracks and holes in the ceiling of
keep, making exploration a bit easier.  Down the hallway, they could see
that they were on the other side of the study that they had passed by the
day before.