Of course the gourds showed up to wreak a little havoc in the Atheneum today, and Jigano sighed in exasperation as he, too, tried to compel them to go the hell away. Dratted nuisances. (Fangorn excluded, of course). It was a quiet and efficient group that gathered in spite of the villainous vegetables, and the bard smiled and gave each a murmured word of greeting and grateful nod as they arrived. No apology needed. The gourds delayed things anyways, he reassured Amalia as each went to the room of their choice.
”As you bring books out of your rooms, I’ll work on carrying them down to empty shelves,” he explained his role in the proceedings. ”Once all the shelves and furniture is cleared we can move it down to the area in front of last year's wall repairs and start filling it back in again.” The tables that had been shifted there for the last Flora and Fauna lesson were pushed against the wall, empty and ready to be piled high with books as well.
Room one hadn’t been opened in a while, and the first thing that would greetLoren as he entered was a thick cloud of dust. In fact, from the depth of the grime it would seem that the place hadn’t been touched in decades, if not longer. There might have been one window on the far wall but the light that filtered through it was wan and dark, obscured by thick mats of dirt and cobwebs and a pile of dead ladybugs an inch thick upon the sill. Loren will find two large bookshelves and one table hidden beneath the mess, all showing slight signs of age and decay but appearing more or less sound. The books are in a mixed state; those near the window appear to have succumbed to dry rot and age, but those nearest the door might be legible and salvageable, though they will take a lot of cleaning to be readable again.
Room two was in slightly better shape, with two small windows instead of one larger one. They let in more light and appeared as though they might even still open with a sturdy push. Though dirty, there were footprints in the dust that showed that someone had come in and the room had seen some use perhaps as recently as five years ago.Rance will see a book still sits on one of the two tables, a marker between its closed pages showing where someone had intended to return. The title on the spine is “The Book of Seasons,” and along with other texts in the room it seems to be focused on harvesting and planting in the Hollowed Grounds, along with weather patterns and the cycle of the moon and stars within the barrier. A single bookshelf rests against one wall, but the other contains a pigeon-hole construction filled with rolled parchments. Most are dust, but a few remain, and the books on the opposite shelves are in decent condition for their age.
Room three had seen better days, and so had its occupants. AsQuanil pushed the door open a scurrying towards the shadowed corners indicated the presence of some many-legged vermin, an unsettling infestation given the lack of other light. No window breaks the back wall in this room, but ornate oil lanterns are set into three of the walls, long since dry of fuel. Three small bookshelves share the space, though there are remarkably few books on their shelves. Stranger still, each book is bound in dark leather and locked shut, each with an ornate silver lock showing signs of ancient tarnishing. A single table and high-backed chair sit dead center of the space, and something gleams faintly through the dust on the floor around it.
Room four was a little smaller than the previous rooms but made up for it with a larger window that was still in good condition, the frame sound and the glass a bit dusty but otherwise clear.Amalia can see that it’s a surprisingly bright and cheerful space with a domed ceiling that makes the edges of the room a bit dangerous for taller folk, but it is painted a dark blue, with constellations picked out in faded white and silver paint, still faintly visible beneath the light coating of grime. A single shelf is pushed against one wall, containing only a handful of books written in a strangely looping script, while on the floor against the other wall the disintegrated remains of a straw pallet rests. It is the middle of the room, however, that holds the strangest thing: a five foot tall orrery, its delicate but heavy metal arms long-since rusted into immobility, crowned with a golden sun and surrounded by four planets of varying sizes, each with its own collection of alien moons and satellites.
Room five greetedSamuel with an unfortunate smell as the breeze of the door would waft the scent of decay and a decided fungal overtone to his nose. The books in this room have long since turned to mold and mildew for the room’s window, mirror to room one, is broken with edges still sharp and gaping after so many years. Rain and snow have clearly had their way, and both bird and mouse droppings can be seen amid the shambles of the rotting shelves. Five chairs are scattered and overturned between two tables and two large bookshelves – or what used to be bookshelves. One of the tables is broken, and the other shoved up against a shelf which had spilled its precious contents to the floor some decade past. Beneath the dried leaves and general buildup of nature’s detritus lie two suspicious dark stains upon the stone floor.
Room six was the largest, but also the one in the best shape. Ronin would see the breeze from the door ruffle the feathers of a mummified bird towards the back of the room, but aside from a light layer of dust and disuse the space was in remarkably good condition. Three windows lit the space during the day and revealed the six bookshelves within, all sturdy and whole. The shelves weren’t packed tightly, but there were a number of books on each, thinner ones to the east of the room and thicker ones to the west. Flipping them open might crumble a few pages of the slimmest volumes, but would reveal what appeared to be a record of births, marriages, genealogies, and deaths. Whether they were from within the barrier or some other place wasn’t clear, but many contained small portraits in faded ink.
No post order
Time to get to work! Shift salvageable books to Jigano so he can carry them downstairs, and detail what cleaning attempts you’re undertaking. General cleaning supplies (soap, water, brooms, rags, etc.) are available near the top of the stairs.
”As you bring books out of your rooms, I’ll work on carrying them down to empty shelves,” he explained his role in the proceedings. ”Once all the shelves and furniture is cleared we can move it down to the area in front of last year's wall repairs and start filling it back in again.” The tables that had been shifted there for the last Flora and Fauna lesson were pushed against the wall, empty and ready to be piled high with books as well.
Room one hadn’t been opened in a while, and the first thing that would greet
Room two was in slightly better shape, with two small windows instead of one larger one. They let in more light and appeared as though they might even still open with a sturdy push. Though dirty, there were footprints in the dust that showed that someone had come in and the room had seen some use perhaps as recently as five years ago.
Room three had seen better days, and so had its occupants. As
Room four was a little smaller than the previous rooms but made up for it with a larger window that was still in good condition, the frame sound and the glass a bit dusty but otherwise clear.
Room five greeted
Room six was the largest, but also the one in the best shape. Ronin would see the breeze from the door ruffle the feathers of a mummified bird towards the back of the room, but aside from a light layer of dust and disuse the space was in remarkably good condition. Three windows lit the space during the day and revealed the six bookshelves within, all sturdy and whole. The shelves weren’t packed tightly, but there were a number of books on each, thinner ones to the east of the room and thicker ones to the west. Flipping them open might crumble a few pages of the slimmest volumes, but would reveal what appeared to be a record of births, marriages, genealogies, and deaths. Whether they were from within the barrier or some other place wasn’t clear, but many contained small portraits in faded ink.
No post order
Time to get to work! Shift salvageable books to Jigano so he can carry them downstairs, and detail what cleaning attempts you’re undertaking. General cleaning supplies (soap, water, brooms, rags, etc.) are available near the top of the stairs.
