Jigano’s expression brightened as
No sooner had he spoken then he noticed Amalia clearing her throat and stepping forward. ”All are welcome, when they bring a sense of curiosity and desire to help others,” he greeted warmly. His eyes sparkled at the food, and seeing that they had four lanterns between them was definitely a good sign. ”Thank you, Amalia, for your kindness – and your pragmatism! I’m sure we’ll work up an appetite, whether exploring or cleaning.” He looked between the two, oblivious to their past history and seeing their awkwardness as simply the timid natures both had shown in the past. Pleased with his first two arrivals, he chuckled and offered them both a smile. ”I consider this a good omen. Having two natives familiar with this place, as well as two outlanders to bring a different point of view to our studies, is an excellent beginning. And speaking of two outlanders…” He looked up as Isla approached, offering her his hand in a clasp that would be warm, at least on his part.
”Isla, you know Sam already, but this is Amalia. Amalia, Isla works in the Infirmary, if you haven’t had a chance to meet her yet, and Samuel is a bookmaker and seller.”
Introductions complete, he turned to lead the way, lifting his own lantern as he pushed the door open and stepped once more into the single footprint in the dust. The stairs led down in a shallow curve, the tall ceiling growing higher as they descended beneath the floor of the Atheneum. Jigano led the way with an oil lantern, followed by his intrepid companions. ”We’ll need to figure out a lighting system,” he murmured, though he thought he saw a glint of something higher up on the walls – glass, or maybe mirrors of some sort? ”Ideally something nonflammable. Perhaps we can make a deal with a mage for some sort of magical item…” His musing trailed off as he reached the bottom of the stairs and held his lantern up. Light gleamed dully from dusty, cobwebbed stone and ancient wood. It revealed a large hall with twelve foot ceilings, well-buttressed with arching stone. Four closed doors were visible in the shadows, two on each side. A chandelier of dusty mirrors - presumably to gather and amplify light – glinted above them, and as Jigano stepped further into the room sparks of reflected light danced from a sequence of mirrors to spread a faint twilight glow around. A large table of petrified wood stood in the center, capable of seating a dozen comfortably, and rows of shelves of the same material around the edges of the room – but they were all empty, not even a scrap of paper remaining.
Jigano exhaled softly, eyes brightening in excitement as he turned slowly. The movement of his lantern caused the shadows to dance wildly, but nothing moved to leap out at them. At the far end of the room a large, well-grated fireplace yawned in cold splendor, and the bard took a few tentative steps towards it. ”I wonder,” he murmured in awe, ”if this was a meeting hall for the librarians of this place, before the cataclysm that shattered the wall upstairs? It would be perfect for us. It will need dusting and sweeping but…” He paused, an almost giddy grin spreading over his face. ”Does anyone have any objections?” He tilted his head at his friends, a charming, coaxing gesture. As they filtered into the room with him he set his lantern down on the table, positioning it so the some of the light reflected up to the chandelier, and the room brightened a little further to a dim but serviceable ambience. ”A pity all the books are gone, but perhaps they were stored in the side rooms for safe keeping?” His grin turned roguish and he gestured to the mostly-wooden barriers. ”Four of us and four of them! What say we all grab a door and see what’s inside?”
Door 1: On the left side of the hall, nearest the outer perimeter of the building above, the first door is dark with age and looks a bit flimsy with dry rot. Warping has swelled the top into the frame, and the hinges look rusted, but the brass knob is intact and looks sturdier than the wood around it.
Door 2: Further back on the left side, the second door looks less warped, but a large hole has rotted away from the upper corner near the hinges. The knob is the black of age-tarnished silver, but looks like it will turn with some rattling and a bit of effort.
Door 3: Closest to the entrance on the right, this door is sturdy and whole, unwarped and lacking the rot seen on the doors across the room. The knob is green and pitted with verdigris, however, as are the hinges, and it will take a solid shove to open it.
Door 4: Farthest from the entrance on the right, this door is sheathed in steel with a keyhole below the knob. The steel is darkened and covered in grime, but looks strong and whole in the flickering light. The frame and hinges are similarly metal and set firmly into the stone around them.
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