I need to think of a better name, something other than Successor Project, that’s so... morbid, now that I think about it. I guess it was fitting at the time, when I was horribly depressed for three months, but things have gotten a lot better (!!) and while I don’t think I’m ever going to go clear out another Library floor, it doesn’t feel like I’m preprating to leave.
As I write this in the Pixie Theatre, watching Project gently explore the room... I think I’m as close to understanding magic as I’ve ever been. This is a living thing.
Balthazar’s modifications worked perfectly. I protected the carvings (in the end, that’s what worked best) and the whole interior is covered with so many little runes. There’s a large and clear chunk of Caster’s Quartz right where a heart would be (keep thinking about diamonds and having to remind myself that this isn’t a Revivify) and I put some smaller ones in conduit points in joints as well as two for eyes. I’m not sure if Project knows how to talk yet, though it could be that I just haven’t asked.
I think the next month is going to be a lot of teaching.
I named the season again: Summer of Rippling Gold. Seemed fitting.
I went with Luna to Trollskull mannor a lot. She would clean and I’d work on notes from Balthazar’s book, occasionally bouncing ideas off her. I like getting out of the library on occasion. That ghost of a bartender is still upset at us being here. We’ve taken to calling it Getout, as that’s how it responded when we asked its name. Luna went down into the cellar and found a barel of wine that hadn’t gone off — we could sell it, but we could also drink it. I’m not much of a wine drinker myself, but I know a lot of the others are.
At one point, she asked me to smelt some new glass windows. They’re not the prettiest, but not half bad for a first try! I think we pleased Getout. I really do want to make some furniture and repair the walls of that place at some point. Once we run out of things to do above the fourth floor, I suppose that’s what I’ll work on.
We’ve had people puttering off to do their own things a lot these past two months, which is all fine and good until Luna didn’t come back from doing Force Grey things. It was a day and a half! Apparently she was just sitting up there on the top of Mt Waterdeep, meditating! Wizards.
She went off with David and Sig and Hiss near the end of Kythorn, doing some errand or another with the Church of Chauntea (...the Emerald Enclave?), something about some scarecrows.
I stayed back to work on the Project (!) but she was there when it happened.
We. had a long conversation in the bathroom. But I think everything is sorted out now (!!!)
Having spent much of the month of Mirtul restoring my lost poetry from the Faewild and aiding Song of the Sealark in creating a teleportation circle between the Library proper and its newest aquisition, I decided to get out in the city of Waterdeep, now in the early summer.
I thought it only proper to repay the Church of Chauntea for their aid with my arm (which has regained most if not all functionality at this point). Oleander Pendergrass is such a charming fellow, greeting me as Bad Vibes Dude. Truly, he’s correct. I can deal with that later; this deal has not soured yet. Perhaps I should seek Nem after this — I might be losing touch with his advice. I wonder how he is.
Oleander asked me about the badger who “vibe checked” me the last time I visited, as Chip has apparently gone missing. I do hope they find him. A small white cat then instructed me to meet in a manse in the North Ward — druids are such strange folk.
I assembled the present members of the Library staff (we all have had dealings with the Church in the past; it makes sense to continue to foster good relations) and went to the Emerald Enclave. The folks there offered us membership — which we all accepted, though not institutionally. The Library will remain officially unaffiliated, though most of the present staff agreed to join these friends of Chauntea.
The Emerald Enclave in turn sent us out to the northward hamlet, as there had been reports of animated scarecrows causing trouble. There had not yet been fatalities and as such the Guard had not bothered to be involved.
We walked down to the village and luckily found an older man who was happy to tell us of the plight. The scarecrows had killed some of his cows. He offered us a “lucky sword” (the item was not magic in any way) despite my urgings that he keep such a valuable weapon for his own defense — Luna took it to pacify him. It was better for her to do so, as I already have a sword of my own, Hiss is perfectly capable of summoning his, and Sig does not use blades.
Locating the damned things was easy with Sig’s flight, though the walk over for the rest of us land-bound creatures was less enjoyable. Lo and behold, four shambling scarecrows. I’m very grateful for Tamworth’s spell-tinkering; the scarecrows are extremly flammable, but so is the wheat around us. We were not out to cause more damage — his Harmless Fireball works wonders.
As expected, the scarecrows were just vessels for vengeful spirits. I attempted to speak with them and ask them what their purpose was. They had been killed (obviously) by some... green things in the forest. I could not ascertain more as they were quite mad.
We slew them handily and returned to the Library. I ought to do some digging into that. Especially as I find myself unable to pick up new spells — quite frustratingly, I discovered that this power gate is an aspect of my pact. Truly unfortunate as I was so hoping to find a familiar for myself, perhaps one of those lovely little birds from the marshes.
