Transcript – The Vault of the Librarian

[Quest of Ruin theme plays]

ANNOUNCER
Scroll and Dagger presents:
Quest of Ruin
Episode Twenty-Three
The Vault of the Librarian

[Theme fades to urban background noise, with sounds of stationery and dice in the foreground.]

GAME MASTER
Hello and welcome to Quest of Ruin, the post-apocalyptic fantasy roleplaying podcast. I am your host and Game Master. Last time, you were trying to discover the secret Vaults of Aiolin’s old master, Aiolin Sonrai, knowing only that they lie somewhere beneath the old college. The hope is that you will find some way of deciphering the book you found in Barad Angol that you believe will explain what the vampire ritual did to Vurieth and why they can no longer use their magic.

MATT
Which had better work.

WILL
[reassuringly] It will, there’s been way too much build up for this to be nothing.

GINA
I don’t know, he might just turn around and be like “nope, you went the wrong way.”

[Rosie and Leah laugh.]

GAME MASTER
Exactly. I could be waiting to subvert your expectations.

WILL
If you do that, I’m going to punch you in the throat.

MATT
Yeah, I want my magic back. That battle in the mountains was kind of concerning without anything to fight with.

GAME MASTER
Well, maybe the Vaults will hold the answer. Who knows?

WILL
Well, you would, I imagine.

GAME MASTER
Yeah, alright. Point is, Balink has just put in the combination to the door…

[Transitioning to the vault entrance of Sonrai College, the stone begins to move as the door opens.]

BALINK
I found stairs!

VURIETH
Sands below us!

YAELA
You think this is it?

LAETHAR
Well, I don’t see many other secret doors opening.

AIOLIN
This is it. It has to be.

LAETHAR
Well, we might as well have a look. Who wants to go first?

BALINK
It’s really dark down there.

AIOLIN
I’ll go.

YAELA
No offence, Aiolin, but my eyes are a little better than yours. It might be best if I lead.

VURIETH
I can see in darkness also.

YAELA
[gently] Yes, but you have no control over your magic. If there’s something down there, you won’t be able to protect yourself.

VURIETH
[dejected] Yes. You are right, of course.

YAELA
Tell you what, come with me. You can help me keep an eye out.

VURIETH
Yes, I shall.

LAETHAR
Alright, well, let’s get this done then.

[They begin moving.]

YAELA
These stairs seem to be moving.

LAETHAR
How? Magic?

AIOLIN
Doubt it. Weren’t any mages here. Least, not for most of the time.

LAETHAR
But Master Sonrai was an elf. He must have had some ability.

[Aiolin makes a sound of agreement.]

AIOLIN
Because all elves have some magical talent. Right, Laethar?

LAETHAR
[uncomfortably] Um, well…

VURIETH
It is not magic. Whatever Master Sonrai’s ability, moving the stairs like this would require telekinetic power which must be kept active by the mage. Without a mage, the stairs would cease moving.

BALINK
Maybe it’s some kind of motor-driven cycle system. They have those in Cavernvault. Never seen it done with stone though.

AIOLIN
I can’t hear any kind of motor.

LAETHAR
And wouldn’t the power have run out by now?

YAELA
Look, we can spend all day staring at the stairs or we can get on with things. I’m going to do the latter, feel free to join me.

[Yaela begins to make her way down, followed by the others.]

BALINK
… It really is very dark.

VURIETH
Truly this sort of thing has rarely gone well for us.

LAETHAR
It’s so quiet.

AIOLIN
It is a bit unnerving.

YAELA
[warningly] Quiet!

LAETHAR
[quietly] What? You see something?

VURIETH
I cannot.

YAELA
No, but I think I heard something. Like a small rush of energy, like…

[Electric lamps whoosh alight.]

BALINK
Ah! My eyes!

AIOLIN
[grunting] That’s bright.

LAETHAR
[audibly wincing] I suppose whatever power source is here hasn’t run out after all.

BALINK
It must be activated by people entering the Vault… speaking of, get a look at that!

YAELA
Spirits.

LAETHAR
What… gods above us.

VURIETH
It is… enormous!

LAETHAR
This was Sonrai’s private collection?

AIOLIN
Well, that and all his personal journals.

BALINK
There’s so much of it!

AIOLIN
Well, he lived a long time. Stands to reason he’d amass a lot of knowledge.

VURIETH
Where do we even begin?

AIOLIN
Don’t worry. My master was organised. We just need to find the section where he kept his material on linguistics.

YAELA
Right… which would be where? I don’t see any signs or anything.

AIOLIN
Well, he knew where everything was…

BALINK
Oh, no…

LAETHAR
I suppose we’ll need to split up and search the old fashioned way then.

VURIETH
No, I am not so happy with that idea, given what happened in the last library we went to.

BALINK
Yeah, I don’t want to get grabbed by no more tentacle beasties!

AIOLIN
That is a good point. And this isn’t even the Fae Realm. No telling what might have crept in here over the years.

BALINK
I hate libraries.

LAETHAR
This place is better lit than Barad Angol. We’d see anything creeping around a mile off.

BALINK
[muttering] Unless it makes it all dark again…

YAELA
All the same, I think it might be best if we stick together. Even if it takes a little longer.

LAETHAR
Hm, very well.

VURIETH
So, where do you think we should begin?

AIOLIN
I say have a look around, pick out a few at random. If we can find something focusing on language, we’ll know we’re in the right area.

[As time passes, they pull books from the shelves.]

AIOLIN
Found another journal!

YAELA
What’s that one?

[Aiolin flicks through the pages.]

AIOLIN
Um, “notes of the soil qualities around Ilorodrim”, a list of plants that thrive in limited light…

VURIETH
There is a book here on Norbaran plant husbandry…

[Laethar sighs.]

LAETHAR
Okay, so it looks like we’ve found the botany section.

YAELA
[flatly] Terrific.

AIOLIN
Look, I know this is frustrating. But there’s nothing else for it! We just have to keep looking.

[Parchment rustles.]

BALINK
[faintly] Ooh, a map!

YAELA
Don’t just grab things.

BALINK
But look, it’s covered in circles and crosses. You think it’s treasure?

LAETHAR
I doubt it. This is probably just Sonrai’s collection on Geography. I must say, I knew he was the foremost scholar in the world but I never thought his interests would be quite so… varied.

[The parchment is rustled more as Aiolin takes it.]

AIOLIN
Might not be as varied as you think. Look here, under this circle. See, the writing in red?

VURIETH
“Tinnuhaven”… wait, that was the name –

AIOLIN
Exactly. And, see here, “Monolith, question mark”.

YAELA
Wait, your master knew about the Monolith?

AIOLIN
It looks like it. Or, at least, that it existed. And look at this spot, wouldn’t this be roughly where that temple was? The one we freed Elloin from?

VURIETH
I think you’re right, my friend.

LAETHAR
And here is that Hidden Valley with our good friends of the Village of Fallersby.

BALINK
The cake is for later.

YAELA
Shut up, Binks.

[Balink laughs.]

AIOLIN
Looks like Master Sonrai was really interested in that place.

VURIETH
That is a lot of exclamation marks.

BALINK
And what’s them numbers mean?

AIOLIN
What?

BALINK
Look. There’s little numbers here, and there too.

LAETHAR
Well spotted.

AIOLIN
I hadn’t even noticed.

BALINK
Well, it takes a goblin to spot these sorts of things, ya know?

YAELA
What do they mean?

AIOLIN
Not sure. The numbers where Fallersby is are 2, 4 and 7.

VURIETH
And underneath Tinnuhaven, this says 12, 1 and 13.

BALINK
Some kinda code?

AIOLIN
I don’t think so…

LAETHAR
Have you thought of something?

[Counting under his breath, Aiolin walks away.]

VURIETH
Ah, should we follow him?

YAELA
… No, he’s coming back this way.

[Aiolin returns.]

AIOLIN
… Then four, five, six, seven.

[A book is pulled off the shelf, pages flicked through.]

VURIETH
What does it say?

AIOLIN
Hmmm, it’s written in Elvish. Laethar, you want to have a look?

LAETHAR
Oh, certainly.

VURIETH
I thought you could read Elvish?

AIOLIN
I can, but I’d need to translate it first. Makes more sense for you to just read it.

LAETHAR
Fair point. Let’s see. “Anim tira abonnen, Carrow, forodren…” My word. It says, “I believe I have found the human, Carrow, north of the Spine Mountains. He hides in Nan Hethu, in the lands called the East Barrows. I have contacted King Iswald about it, but have heard nothing back as of yet.”

AIOLIN
Yes! I was right.

BALINK
What you on about?

AIOLIN
The numbers are for reference. Row, shelf and journal. So, if Master Sonrai needed the notes about anything on the map, he’d know where the right journal was.

VURIETH
But why was he keeping notes on Carrow and Fallersby anyway?

AIOLIN
I… I don’t know… Yaela, you alright?

YAELA
Look at the front cover of the journal.

[The book is closed.]

LAETHAR
Looks like a closed eye.

YAELA
I’ve seen that before. In Fallersby.

VURIETH
You do not think your master was connected to whatever power was behind what was going on there?

AIOLIN
Of course not! … At least, I don’t think so.

[Laethar continues to flick through the pages.]

LAETHAR
No… no I think he was merely documenting the movements and activities of Carrow and his followers.

[Laethar continues to turn the pages.]

LAETHAR
Oh my, here’s something you might find interesting. “Carrow has been blocking my attempts. His latest frustration came in the form of a forest that seems to appear and disappear at will. All agents who have attempted traversing the place reported a feeling of contentment to the detriment of their will to proceed. Those who actually emerged again, at any rate. This seems far too powerfully connected to Keep-Me-Safe for it to be Carrow’s work alone. I suspect the Sisterhood’s hand at work here, perhaps the Blind Lady herself.”

YAELA
Well, the forest certainly sounds familiar.

VURIETH
Indeed. But what was all the rest of that?

BALINK
Yeah, who’s the sisterhood and the blind lady?

LAETHAR
That’s just what’s written here. I have no idea what it all means.

[Turning pages, Laethar makes a sound of disgust, and drops the book to the floor.]

YAELA
What is it?

LAETHAR
The pages! The rest of the book has rotted. There’s some kind of fungus growing in it!

AIOLIN
[horrified] What?

YAELA
Well, I suppose it’s been a while since the books were properly tended to. Amazing they’re in as good condition as they are, really.

AIOLIN
Oh gods, if it’s spread to the whole collection –

[Aiolin pulls out a book and flips through it.]

YAELA
Calm down, Aiolin, I’m sure most of the collection is alright.

AIOLIN
Okay, this one’s fine.

[He puts it back and pulls out another.]

VURIETH
May I see?

LAETHAR
By all means.

BALINK
What is it? You’re looking thoughtful.

VURIETH
I don’t know. It’s just, I have a feeling about this… maybe it’s nothing.

[Vurieth puts the book back.]

YAELA
No, I think you’re right…

BALINK
Well, don’t worry about that now! That map marked where that big stone thing was, right? So if we go to where those numbers say to go, we might find stuff on it and vampires, right? Maybe we won’t even need that book after all!

LAETHAR
Yes, Balink’s right. Where did you say it was?

AIOLIN
[relieved] Oh thank Belakh, they’re all fine. Hm? What? Oh, let’s see… twelve, one, thirteen. Alright, follow me.

[They approach the shelves.]

AIOLIN
Alright, that’s the twelfth row, top shelf and it should be the thirteenth you find.

BALINK
What you mean, we find? You’re the tallest one here, you get it!

[Aiolin grunts, and pulls a book off the shelf.]

YAELA
What’s that on the cover?

VURIETH
The Monolith.

BALINK
You sure?

VURIETH
Quite sure.

AIOLIN
Here, this one’s probably in Elvish too.

[The book opens and pages are turned.]

LAETHAR
It is indeed. Let’s see here.

[Laethar mutters softly in Elvish.]

LAETHAR
Alright; “My field researchers have located the forgotten refuge of the ancient vampires. They reported they were unable to approach, so overwhelmed were they by the great stone that towered over the place, casting its shadow over them, even from a distance.”

BALINK
Definitely recognise the sound of that.

LAETHAR
Yes, quite. Master Sonrai then says, “I believe this is it. If the Travelling Church is successful in raising a new Wanderer, this is certainly where their opponents will attempt to raise a new Highest.”

VURIETH
Yes, they said that. They said something about me becoming Highest… wait, what was that about the Wanderer?

BALINK
Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask about that. You keep mentioning the Wanderer, who is that?

VURIETH
Oh, he is a sacred figure to my people. He led us back to the Ashen Plains after the death of Ongron Corchir and taught us how to survive in our remade home. We look on the Wanderer as our saviour and our teacher.

BALINK
So, what does the book mean by “raising a new Wanderer?”

VURIETH
I don’t know, it makes no sense… though… the vampires did say something about that cult leader, you know, Agrippesa? That she had tried to do something. And they were very angry when I mentioned the Wanderer.

YAELA
So, that must be it then. They were trying to make you this “Highest.” I’m guessing that’s some kind of arch-vampire type thing. Does it say anything about the ritual, or how to undo it?

LAETHAR
I’m looking, I’m looking… ah.

AIOLIN
What?

LAETHAR
“I have hit a block in my research on the Monolith and the Highest ritual. I understand that the details are recorded in the ancient Arwaena text ‘The Origin of the Dominant Species,’ the only copy of which sits in Barad Angol. Predictably, Librarian Istaband is refusing my petitions to journey to the Fae Realm to view this text.”

YAELA
But… you don’t think?

BALINK
My book!

[Balink searches through his bag.]

BALINK
Here it is!

YAELA
Well, don’t get too excited. We don’t know for sure that’s the same book.

AIOLIN
And, we still have no way of translating it.

LAETHAR
Don’t be so sure.

AIOLIN
What do you mean?

LAETHAR
The last page. It says “I have obtained rubbings of the Calad’elu Stone.”

AIOLIN
Blood, Bone and Belakh! Ha!

BALINK
I’m missing something here.

VURIETH
Indeed. What is the Calad’elu Stone?

AIOLIN
Oh, right, sorry. Calad’elu is one of the four great –

LAETHAR
Three.

AIOLIN
Right, yes, sorry. Three great lighthouses of Toor. It’s down south, in Pale Harbour. Inside it, so the story goes, is a great stone on which is inscribed what’s supposed to be the last message from the First People to the rest of us. It’s written three times, once in Teithawen, the Elvish script, once in Deeper and finally in Ubwaen hieroglyphs.

BALINK
So… how’s that helpful?

YAELA
Because if it’s the same message, then you can use the other two sides to translate the hieroglyphs!

AIOLIN
Exactly! The stone’s supposed to be locked deep within the lighthouse tower, though. Gods know how Sonrai got in to do rubbings of it.

VURIETH
And where are these rubbings?

AIOLIN
They should be somewhere around here. Check down that aisle. Balink, come and help me look over here.

YAELA
Alright, but don’t wander off too far.

AIOLIN
Hm.

[Paper rustles.]

AIOLIN
Alright, this looks like a good place to start.

BALINK
Oooh, it’s a lot of maps and blueprints and… let’s look ‘ere…

[There is a squelch.]

BALINK
Yuck, these books are all mouldy too!

AIOLIN
[half paying attention] Mhmm?

BALINK
Aw no, gross! So so gross! It’s all sticky!

AIOLIN
[still reading] Try not to ruin the books.

[There’s an acidic hiss.]

BALINK
Ow! Ouch! Get off! Get off!

AIOLIN
Balink, what –

[Balink falls over, letting out a louder howl of pain, and the hiss of acid is louder.]

AIOLIN
Balink! Oh, Gijak agh bal! Stay still!

BALINK
Stay still?

AIOLIN
Your moving is making it spread! You need to stay still!

[Balink howls in pain.]

AIOLIN
Here, let me –

[Another acidic hiss.]

AIOLIN
Ow! Blood! It’s all over the floor too!

[Footsteps pound on the floor.]

YAELA
What is going on?

[Balink howls in pain again.]

AIOLIN
Ah, ahh, ow! This mould, something’s not right about it!

LAETHAR
Don’t tell me it’s alive!

AIOLIN
Not quite, ahhh! No… at least, I don’t think so!

VURIETH
We must help them.

[Vurieth hurries forward, and is stopped by Yaela flinging out her arm.]

YAELA
No! Vurieth, look out!

VURIETH
Oh… no…

LAETHAR
There’s more growing out of those shelves over there.

VURIETH
Growing very quickly.

YAELA
Did either of you see where it came from?

BALINK
I hate libraries, I hate learning stuff and I hate books!

AIOLIN
Yes – ouch – half of the books in this row have been eaten away by the mould. When we opened them, it spilled.

YAELA
We will get you out, both of you, just try to stay calm.

[Balink mutters darkly to himself. The acid hisses as it oozes over the floor from the mould.]

LAETHAR
What can we do? We could probably just about reach them, but pulling on them would be –

BALINK
Pull on me, I don’t care!

YAELA
Binks, we cannot do that, it could take half your skin off.

[Balink grumbles.]

VURIETH
I can feel something about it… something familiar… wait, what’s that?

AIOLIN
Behind you!

LAETHAR
I cannot see an- what is that?

YAELA
It looks like ivy.

VURIETH
I believe it is moving.

YAELA
Moving? I don’t –

[There’s a slithering while the acid continues to hiss.]

LAETHAR
The Ashlander is right.

YAELA
Yes! I see it! We have to get them out!

BALINK
It’s got thorns!

[Balink’s words are cut off as the thorns curl around his face.]

AIOLIN
Hold onto me, here!

[Aiolin grunts in pain as he grabs Balink.]

YAELA
I am going in.

LAETHAR
Don’t be ridiculous. The last thing we need is for all three of you to get stuck.

VURIETH
Look, I could try to –

LAETHAR
Do not say “cast a spell”.

VURIETH
… Cast a spell.

YAELA
Vurieth, we can’t trust your powers at the moment. Even if they do work, what if you accidentally blew apart the whole room? We’d be buried here.

VURIETH
I know, I know, I just…

AIOLIN
Unless anyone else has a better idea, I am all for it!

BALINK
[muffled through plant] Me too!

YAELA
Laethar, can we climb to them across those shelves perhaps?

LAETHAR
We could… but there is no way I could pull even one of them on my own while holding myself up.

[Balink shrieks, muffled.]

AIOLIN
Vurieth, just do it!

VURIETH
… I…

YAELA
We could run across? Surrender our boots and jump back…?

LAETHAR
I don’t think either of us could make that jump.

YAELA
Oh… alright, Vurieth I think we don’t have a choice.

VURIETH
A lightning bolt should do the job. But…

[Balink shrieks again, louder.]

VURIETH
There is no guarantee it would not hurt them as well.

AIOLIN
Don’t worry about us, cast it! Balink is nearly submerged!

LAETHAR
Do it, Vurieth.

VURIETH
Alright… alright.

[Vurieth begins to incant, speaking calmly, decidedly, almost dangerously. Deafening lightning goes off, crackling loudly before it fades.]

BALINK
Woah!

AIOLIN
Here, grab my hand.

[Balink is torn away from the mould attached to his arms and back, and howls in pain.]

AIOLIN
Sorry. Think that last bit took off a bit of skin. Nothing that can’t be fixed though.

YAELA
Are you alright?

AIOLIN
Little scarred, but alive. We should probably move, though, in case this stuff comes back to life.

LAETHAR
Here, use these to get across!

AIOLIN
No! Those are –

[There are thuds and small hisses as Laethar throws books to the floor.]

LAETHAR
Nothing of note. Old books on prophecy and fortune.

AIOLIN
This was my master’s personal research collection. Some of these books are one of a kind and priceless!

LAETHAR
Well if the prophets who wrote these actually knew what they were talking about, I think they would have told Master Sonrai to store them on a higher shelf.

YAELA
[sighs] Aiolin, can you reach my hand?

AIOLIN
I got you.

[They step back.]

YAELA
Binks, are you alright?

BALINK
I’ll be fine. More importantly – Vurieth, that was awesome!

VURIETH
Thank you, little one. But do not be silly, you are hurt, both of you. We do not need to be –

BALINK
Talking about how legendary your magic is?

VURIETH
I do not wish to get my hopes up, is all.

BALINK
We’ll find the translation stuff. Then we’ll get you all back to normal. Then you’ll let me talk about how cool you are?

VURIETH
I… alright.

BALINK
Yes.

[He lets out a sound of pain.]

AIOLIN
Try not to move too much, it will make it worse.

VURIETH
Healing. We – ah, we should heal you.

YAELA
Do you want to risk it a second time?

VURIETH
I am uncertain.

YAELA
I have some things left over in my bag. That can tide us over for now.

VURIETH
Thank you. I… I could not bear it if I made it at all worse.

BALINK
[quietly] So cool.

AIOLIN
Thank you, both of you.

LAETHAR
Did you find anything before… well, before all this happened?

AIOLIN
Not yet, I think we’re in the right place though.

BALINK
Hopefully what we need wasn’t one of the things what got all mouldy.

YAELA
We must hope not. What was it you were looking at?

AIOLIN
There was a shelf full of rolls of thin paper. Charts, graphs, diagrams, that sort of thing. If the rubbing that we need survived, I think it’ll be in there.

LAETHAR
Right, we’ll go and look. You stay here and rest. Keep an eye on Balink.

AIOLIN
But will you know what it is if you find it?

LAETHAR
Part of the stone of Caled’elu is in Elvish. I may not be a scholar, but I think I know enough to recognise my own language on a piece of paper.

AIOLIN
Fair point. Alright, good luck.

[Deeper in the vaults, Yaela, Vurieth and Laethar search for the book.]

VURIETH
This is where they were looking.

LAETHAR
It looks like what Aiolin described.

YAELA
Well, let’s look quickly. After all that, I’d like to get out as quickly as possible.

VURIETH
Likewise.

[Scrolls are unrolled and paper crinkles as the conversation goes on.]

LAETHAR
How are you holding up, Ashlander?

VURIETH
Not too badly my friend, though I do feel rather drained.

LAETHAR
Well, I’m not surprised after what you did back there.

VURIETH
[chuckles] Yes, well, I am just glad it worked out. It could have easily been a disaster.

LAETHAR
It was a risk. But, you were right from the start. You did well.

YAELA
[gleefully mocking] What’s this? Laethar Monrunn congratulating a half-elf mage on their use of magic? What would the Arch-enchanters of the Marble University think?

LAETHAR
Oh, do shut up.

[Yaela and Vurieth laugh, and paper rustles.]

VURIETH
Oh! I think this might be it!

LAETHAR
Let me see.

[They pass it over.]

LAETHAR
Yes, this is it, alright. Let’s get out of here.

[Dice roll and clatter at the gaming table.]

WILL
Okay, I’m going to roll up the paper and head back to Aiolin and Balink.

GAME MASTER
No problem. Yaela and Vurieth, is there anything else you want to do or do you want to follow Laethar?

ROSIE
Well, I’m torn because you haven’t explained why you made me and Matt roll for observation earlier.

GAME MASTER
I know.

ROSIE
Which is making me think there’s something horrible that we missed.

MATT
No, that made me think of something, right?

GAME MASTER
Yes, something about the vines and the mould reminded you of something but you can’t quite recall what it is.

ROSIE
So how come I didn’t get anything? I rolled higher than Matt, and I have bonuses in bushcraft!

GAME MASTER
Don’t know what to tell you, it wasn’t enough.

LEAH
Guys, I think we’re running out of time.

GINA
Yeah, I need to head off soon.

GAME MASTER
No problem, we can finish there. Thank you to all of you who joined us this week. Join us again, next time.

[The end theme plays and the Announcer recites the credits]