The entire city was decimated, wrecked, and burned. Little surprise that the libraries hadn't faired any better. Navigating toppled book shelves was a hazard in of itself, but toppled book shelves buried beneath proverbial mountains of rubble could be as dangerous as any deadly trap in a dungeon. It was on one such pile of debris that a macaw-like aviankin perched, with a cane holding him steady where his feet failed. Near him, a pile of already scavenged sullied texts.

    "Damn, damn, DAMN!", he squawked in frustration while shifting between six open texts and flipping pages. The piles themselves were of histories, myths, and theological treatises. "Is this real!? Is this how blind the privileged academia really is!?", he cries while back handing an open text's pages. His crooked claw dug into the page. "Here-- One Lord Brenin crowned by an Archbishop that wouldn't exist for another hundred years!"

    Such was the bird's adamant wrath that his feathers ruffled like a bloomed daisy, and his feeble hands shook, unsteadying his footing as he leaned on his now shaking cane. "It's dreadful! It's intolerable! It's-" His leg gave way and his hand faltered on his cane, forcing the bird to crash down to one knee in a gasp. He swallowed and breathed deep, steadying his nerves and rearming his patience. 

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Nose in a Book

Participants: Two or more

Location: Anywhere (libraries)

Post Requirements: 4 posts per person, 200 words per post

Reward: +1 Renown

Description: The world is starting to warm up to the idea of Scern's story being truthful, at least to some degree. Many still can't fathom how they were able to be tricked for so long by an imposter god, and had absolutely no idea about Vulcadreaus. Scholars are starting to realize they know very little about Charon's true history and are now asking for help from the public. People have begun to pour over old texts, study forgotten scripts, and attempt to find any information that would help shed a light on the world’s current situation. You are being asked to study old texts from libraries or book collections around Charon, hoping to find any clues to help explain things. (No information is found, however.)

As Rinn had continued on his journey to fully understand himself, he would eventually come to find himself within the city of Darkveil. After having patched a bit of the place up, alongside an attractive Tiefling fellow, he had figured that he might as well explore the city a bit. It was as he had been making his rounds around the city that his eyes would come to land upon the sole library that the city had. An unfortunate sight, truly, considering that this building had been affected by the attacks of the Vulcadreaus incident.

While Rinn was no scholar, he had come to enjoy a good book every now and then. In the times that he couldn't make use of his fists, he had come to discover that information could be equally as powerful, so it was truly unfortunate to see that such a fate had befallen a house of knowledge. "Well damn.. I guess that their foundations were relatively weak here as well. One would think that they'd do a bit better when forming such buildings, considering the importance of such a building."

It was as Rinn had been thinking all of this that a thought would dawn upon him. When compared to the gods that he had learned about in his youth, Vulcadreaus hadn't been one of them. In fact, it wasn't until recently that the name had even held any sort of importance. Was this simply due to the distance that Moonglade had between itself and this part of the world? Or had even Darkveil City found itself completely caught unawares? The same could be said about the instigator of the situation. An individual supposedly known as Scern. When it had come to Rinn's own education, he held very little understanding of either of these individuals. This was something that had worried him, considering the threat that the pair had posed. Perhaps.. he should venture into the library and attempt to dig up information on the subject.

That thought in mind, Rinn would do exactly that. With little concern for anything else at the moment, Rinn had headed inside of the partially collapsed library and went off in search of any books that might point him in the right direction. Shortly after having headed inside, however, the sound of irritable shouting would catch his attention. Curious as to what this shouting had been about, Rinn would head off towards its source. What he would come to discover at the other end though was something that he hadn't quite expected. Some kind of.. Avianfolk? A rather old one from the looks of it. Either old or simply injured. Either way Rinn would approach the man before offering him one of his skeletal hands. "Need some help there, old timer?"

Dust motes danced in the sunbeams that slanted through the stained-glass window, painting the ancient tomes laid out before Katsandra with a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues. She perched on a rickety stool, legs swinging playfully, nose buried deep in a leather-bound volume that smelled of parchment and forgotten lore. Her vibrant purple hair, usually tied back in a practical braid, escaped in wispy tendrils around her face, framing her bright blue eyes that devoured the cryptic texts with insatiable curiosity.



"Charon's First Eclipse," she murmured, tracing the faded calligraphy with a slender finger. "Supposedly when darkness last threatened to devour the sun... could there be anything about Vulcadreaus here? Or what happened to the real Scern?"



Excitement tinged her voice, a palpable tremor that vibrated through the hushed stillness of the library. The quest, Nose in a Book, seemed tailor-made for her restless spirit. The thrill of the unknown, the whispers of lost history – it was irresistible. But even for Kat, this wasn't just another adventure. It was a chance to understand the world she found herself thrust into, a world reeling from the revelation of an impostor god and a forgotten deity locked in an ancient struggle.



A sigh escaped her lips as she skimmed through page after page of dense prose. Arcane symbols and indecipherable script met her eyes, taunting her with their secrets. Was she barking up the wrong tree? Had she misjudged the whispers of scholars, the fleeting hints of something hidden within these dusty tomes?



Undeterred, Kat pushed on. Curiosity was a flame that burned bright within her, fueled by a boundless determination. She shifted on the stool, adjusting her weight as a mischievous glint entered her eyes. With a mischievous grin, she reached for a quill and a blank scroll, its pristine surface beckoning like an uncharted map.



"If the answers aren't here," she muttered, dipping the quill in ink, "then maybe I'll just have to write them myself."



The tap-tap-tap of her quill sounded like a drumbeat against the silence, her words swirling on the page as she began to transcribe her own interpretations, weaving together fragments of cryptic knowledge into a tapestry of possible truths. In that moment, Katsandra wasn't just a wandering adventurer or a fledgling mage. She was a detective, a scholar, a weaver of tales, unraveling the threads of Charon's past one scribble at a time.



And who knows, perhaps somewhere buried within the ancient texts, nestled between faded ink and forgotten symbols, a single line might yet reveal a missing piece, a glimmer of hope in the face of uncertainty. For Katsandra Infini, no book was ever truly closed, no mystery insurmountable. The Nose in a Book might turn out to be more than just a simple quest – it could be the spark that ignited a revolution of knowledge, one carefully penned word at a time.

    Outside the library, Elvira was walking through the rubble of the trashed city. As she looked around, she felt the presence of spirits, those innocent lives who had been taken far too early by the wars between powerful people. She felt the sadness, the loss, present in the city. As she walked, she began to think of the families torn apart. Such a senseless violence that destroyed families.


    Soon, the thoughts began to spiral. She was back in her childhood. Back in the moment where she was playing outside with friends, only for a priest to grab her and have her taken to the Temple. She was brought into a room with multiple high-ranking priests. This was when she was told her parents had been slain.

    The thoughts began to overwhelm her. Her hands were shaking, legs progressively becoming weaker. She ducked into the library in an attempt to gather herself. Upon doing so, she leans against the first wall in the darkness, breathing heavily. A few moments of grounding pass before she would spot the others. Her nerves calm upon seeing others and she stands, brushing the dust off of her robes. After fully gathering herself, she steps inside and addresses the room.

    "Greetings, edelōs.¹ How may I be of assistance?"

---

_{1: "travelers"} 

    The presently quadruped bird broke his self reflection to look up at the elf. Old timer? He thought. Knowing elves, he's probably older than me. "Help... Need help is right, in more ways than one." He refixed his cane into the ground and held out his other hand, hoping to be aided by being lifted up. As so, he'd grit his beak and wince painfully all the while. 

    Once to his feet he'd roll his neck and shoulders with painful cracks and pops. "Ah... thank you for your concern. My name is Turjin. I'm a bit of an academic, despite my better senses cautioning me it's a aimless and useless profession." His feathers fluffed up and for a moment he shook violently, shifting the dust from his feathers.

    "I suppose you might be here for the same reason? Searching for truths about the 'Gods' of the world." The bird couldn't hide his contempt as he gave a whistling bird like snarl. 

    When the second elf, a familiar one, enters the scene he tilts his head and shoulders in a sort of bow. "Ma'am. It is good to see you again. And well, I presume?" He lets the question hang for a moment, and while he masquerades manners, it was clear the aviankin was perturbed. "Scern has become quite the popular character of 'intellectual' gossip, unless I have read your curiosities wrong." The bird's black mirrors for eyes shifted between those present, clearly trying to goad an opinion or piece of knowledge for him the chew on in light of the failure of the texts he had surrounded himself with. 

Without much effort on his own end, Rinn would assist the Avianfolk in rising from the ground. Once he was certain that the man before him had stabilized, the cane that he was holding pressing steadily against the ground, Rinn would allow for his grasp on the man to lessen before ceasing entirely. He would come to learn the name of this Avianfolk and even their purpose for being here shortly after. Just as Rinn was about to return the introduction however, another individual would step on into their conversation.

Curious about whom this had been, the Moon Elf would turn about, only to spot another of his race. A rather welcome sight, considering that he was in an entirely separate region from where he usually was. Thanks to this newfound sight of his, a soft smile would find itself plastered upon the young mans lips. "Well hello to you as well~" Taking a step back so that he could take both individuals in with his gaze, Rinn would accidentally bump into a third.

The fact that he hadn't noticed this individual before had left him feeling a bit guilty but ultimately Rinn had forgiven himself. After all, he was a bit too caught up in assisting Turjin at the time. Rather than worry too much about it, Rinn would keep that smile of his upon his features before taking a seat directly beside the Feline Demi-Human. His back had pressed against the wood of the table as he sat down and his gaze had now spanned all three of these individuals.

"I suppose that you could say that I'm here for that. A bit more curious about this Vulcadreaus fella than I am about this Scern, however." As though he had just remembered that he had yet to introduce himself, Rinn would quickly nod his head to the group before continuing on. "The name's Rinntoki by the way. Most simply refer to me as Rinn though. It's a pleasure to meet you all, oh inquisitive academics. Given that we're all here, why don't we take the time to discover these our answers together, hm?"

Katsandra's vibrant blue eyes widened with intrigue as she observed the newcomer, a figure draped in robes that seemed to carry an air of both mystery and solemnity. The quill she had been wielding found its resting place as she leaned back on her creaky stool, a curious smile playing on her lips.


Her fingers absently traced the edge of the parchment, the ink from her interrupted scribblings forming an abstract pattern on the pristine surface. "Assistance, you say?" Katsandra's tone was a blend of genuine interest and curiosity. "Well, I'm currently on the trail of Charon's First Eclipse, an event shrouded in mystery and veiled in the whispers of the past. And then there's the elusive Vulcadreaus, a name that seems to resonate with a power long forgotten."



She gestured toward the tomes scattered around her, each holding a piece of the puzzle she sought to assemble. "I'm Katsandra Infini, a seeker of tales and a bit of a scholar, I suppose. This quest of mine, 'Nose in a Book,' promises to reveal more than just dusty old secrets. What brings you to this sanctuary of forgotten lore, my mysterious friend?" Her eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, eager to unravel the layers of the newcomer's presence in this dimly lit chamber of knowledge.

    Elvira couldn't help but smile softly. It had been a while since she had received a warm welcome from people she know, or only slightly knew in Turjin's case. She gave a deep bow to the older avian, making sure to show her respect to the more experienced man. "It is my pleasure to have come across you again, Turjin. Point me in a direction and I shall begin to assist however needed."

    Upon straightening back up, she caught the smile from the fellow moon elf and... was that a touch of charm in his voice? It had taken her off guard entirely. "He IS quite ravishing," she thought. Alas, looks were not her focus as of now. "As for for you Rinn, I trust that you will be an... interesting character." A small grin cut across what little of her cheek that could be seen. His presence and demeanor had piqued her interest.

    As for the young feline demi-human, she tilted her head curiously. Giving herself a moment to inspect the young adventurer, she shifted her weight and crossed her arms. "It certainly is fascinating to meet you, Miss Infini. I do not believe I have yet to meet an adventurer so young, nor have I yet to meet a feline adventurer!" She shook her head and quickly straightened up, returning to a more formal appearance. "Forgive me for poor mannerisms, I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me.'' With a touch of flourish, she bowed for an introduction. "I am Elvira, a wandering cleric from the Temple of the Moon. I travel the lands and aid those in need in any way I can. I suppose I shall help Turjin scrape through the rubble for any texts that may reveal, or at the very least dispel some rumors, about Scern and Vulcadreaus? That is, unless any of you may have a more efficient idea in terms of how I may lend my hands to your cause."

    With this she steps over to Turjin and offers him a soft smile, preparing to assist in any way she can.

    The bird's eyes dart between the individuals that have found their way into the library, head turning and adjusting to view each person in full. His feathers ruffled slightly before he shakes his head a bit violently to settle his feathers back. A bit of avian native talk of whistles and quiet squawks from his beak that could possibly be translated as humbug. He turns his back on the audience to resume flipping through books until he is joined by Elvira. The bird perks slightly at that, seemingly amused. 

    "Unfortunately, any truth in these texts has been scrubbed clean by pro-Solaris agenda. Aside from some... very specific scrolls, which shed a practical light on Scern's 'God Killing' talents, I have found no texts in regard to genuine history." He whistles through his nose, a sigh for the Aviankin. 

    He lifted up two texts with a scroll on top and offered them to the kind Elvira, again softening his typical hard demeanor. "Thank you, dear. Would you mind setting those over there on the table? Thank you."

    The bird picked up another text, shifting through its pages before turning to face the rest of the party once more. "I would inquire, before speaking too freely, what the present truthful opinions and feelings are of the present assembly. I do not particularly care to enrage anyone and get carried off in an argument or debate. If I am satisfied, I may say what I have found to be true in my long studies."

Rinn would remain seated as he listened to what everyone had to say. For the most part, he could tell where things would go from here on out. How the group would throw themselves into a study circle on the particular subject of Vulcadreaus and Scern. Figuring that he might as well go with the flow of things, he would simply nod along with everything that was being said. Before long, he would spin himself about in his seat and make it so that his legs had been placed beneath the table.

"Well first and foremost, it's nice to meet you all! I look forward to interacting with you all~" A subtle wink would be offered towards Elvira's direction at this point, Rinn only turning back towards the table once he was sure that she caught it. Once he had returned his attention towards the table in front of him, he would speak in kind of Katsandra. "Anywaysss, you certainly seem to be on the right path, from what I can tell. Any period in which the world is shrouded in mystery.. That's definitely where I would expect to find any such hidden rumors and truths." One of his silvered skeletal hands would then reach out towards one of the books that had sat atop of the table. The one that he had grabbed had been focused on the time period known as 'The First Years.' It was a relatively heavy tome, given the extensive time period in which it had covered, so it was probably going to require quite a bit of in-depth reading.

Flipping open to the table of contents that had been at the beginning of the book, Rinn would continue on. His eyes would begin to scan across the table of contents, seeking for anything that might stick out to him. As he had done this, he would turn his acknowledgement towards the Avianfolk. "As for your question, Turjin? I don't really have much of an opinion on the matter. Like most people, I'm assuming, I don't exactly hold a wealth of knowledge on the subject. If anything.. I can only say that I don't like the feeling of lacking information on a possible threat. Whether that be this Scern guy or this false dragon god. No matter how strong one truly is, an overall lack of knowledge can prove a fatal threat."

"It certainly is fascinating to meet you, Miss Infini. I do not believe I have yet to meet an adventurer so young, nor have I yet to meet a feline adventurer!" She shook her head and quickly straightened up, returning to a more formal appearance. "Forgive me for poor mannerisms, I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me.''

Katsandra's fluffy purple feline ears popped up, surprised by the cleric's reaction towards her, blushing slightly as she rubs her right arm in embarrassment, her tail wagging as she let out a giggle "Well I would have become an adventure younger if my master didn't find me, and Oh, no need for formalities, Ms. Elvira!" The feline adventurer exclaimed with a warm smile, her voice carrying an air of genuine friendliness. "Curiosity is a wonderful thing! Besides, it's not every day I get to meet someone as intriguing as you." 

"Unfortunately, any truth in these texts has been scrubbed clean by pro-Solaris agenda. Aside from some... very specific scrolls, which shed a practical light on Scern's 'God Killing' talents, I have found no texts in regard to genuine history." He whistles through his nose, a sigh for the Aviankin.

"Well first and foremost, it's nice to meet you all! I look forward to interacting with you all~" A subtle wink would be offered towards Elvira's direction at this point, Rinn only turning back towards the table once he was sure that she caught it. Once he had returned his attention towards the table in front of him, he would speak in kind of Katsandra. "Anywaysss, you certainly seem to be on the right path, from what I can tell. Any period in which the world is shrouded in mystery.. That's definitely where I would expect to find any such hidden rumors and truths." One of his silvered skeletal hands would then reach out towards one of the books that had sat atop of the table. The one that he had grabbed had been focused on the time period known as 'The First Years.' It was a relatively heavy tome, given the extensive time period in which it had covered, so it was probably going to require quite a bit of in-depth reading.

"Hmmm..." Katsandra made her way towards one of the bookshelves in the deepest parts of the library, moving her finger through the countless literature materials, grabbing books and scrolls that are the closest to being related to Scern, The Imposter God as well as Vulcradeaus, bringing them to everyone else in the group. While they may not find definitive answers in any one text, how about comparing their findings across different sources. Recurring themes, symbols, or references, even seemingly obscure connections could point you in a new direction. "Cross-Referencing, we need to connect the dots, that's how we solve a mystery, within all of these books there has to be a single clue or a lead!" She suggested as she starts opening each book and scroll, she found.

    The cleric shakes her head and smiles, blushing slightly as she catches the wink. After digging through some of the rubble, she takes a set of 5 large, heavily damaged books and brings them to the table next to Rinn. She hops up on the table, dangling her legs off the side, and opens the first book. From the angle he was at, Rinn could see her soft cheeks, dark gray hair, and the intense blue in her eyes that seemed to almost glow as she read. She was wearing a golden headpiece slightly resembling a crown, a piece he knew as one of the symbols of a priestess from the Temple of the Moon (especially one that carried a wealth of knowledge.) Looking up, she gives him a soft smile before she returns to the book.

    Suddenly, she gets a weird look on her face. Starting at a confused expression, it quickly shifts to a slight frustration. "Hells... there's missing pages. According to the table of contents, it should have been about the early recordings of histories, stories from the times before the first civilizations had formed. These look as if they had been ripped out by hand, too." She looks down to Rinn. Speaking in a charming and alluring voice, she leans over and puts on a smile. "Rinn, would you be a dear and bring me a few more books, love?~"

    The ruffled bird looked over the assembled group. Flirtations, uplifting optimism, eagerness. The bird quietly balked to himself as he turned back to his book, flipping through pages and cross referencing the texts he'd already thumbed. "Each writer had a bias and an intended audience. There are assumptions made that mean a great deal to us, that mean nothing to them. They may reference a great King and go in no further detail, as it is assumed the audience they wrote to 4,000 or so years ago knew what King they were talking about... Present day, no record of that King exists."

    He sighs audibly and grumbles in his avian tongue for a moment. The bird stared at the piles of books, both strewn in the debris and already collected. "We're not going to find anything. There's nothing to find. There's no vault, no secret texts, no master lists that haven't been either replaced, scrubbed, or marked." His cane taps on the floor as he hobbles about aimlessly. 

    "There are very few left in this world who know the truth of the matter at this point. All of them have an agenda and a reason to twist the fact to suit their needs." The bird stops in his step and stares at each individual in the room, sizing them up with a discerning and judgmental half-lidded eye. "Whoever wins tomorrow will be the one to write yesterday. This is not a 'history is written by the victors' situation. The truth is gone. At present, it can't be resurrected. If any of you lot truly with to learn the truth you need to ask this: Whose victory will facilitate the best environment for the opportunity to pursue real truth? Then, commit yourself to it, or resign to be a passive observer." Again, the bird looks them over with a contemptuous look. Perhaps he was simply cantankerous and old, or frustrated with the search having been fruitless. 

Rinn's smile would remain firm upon his features as he pulls his gaze away from the book in front of him and toward the several individuals around him. Katsandra and Elvira had both been thoughtful enough to pull a few more books from the debris and other parts of the library so they each could work through the tomes to speed along the process. Meanwhile, Turjin had grumbled about the possibility of them not finding anything whatsoever. While it was likely possible that the Avianfolk's words were true, one wouldn't know unless they thoroughly inspected each of these books.

Both fortunately and unfortunately for the groups efforts, Rinn had indeed been doing a bit of inspecting. His inspections had no longer been on the book before him though.. Instead, his wandering gaze had settled upon the woman that had taken a seat directly beside him, her rear having sat upon the table and her legs simply dangling over the bench in which he sat. From his current position, Rinn could note several of Elvira's features. The most important of these features having been the smile that adorned her lips and the golden headpiece that indicated her affiliations. The more that he had come to learn about this woman, the more intrigued he had been.

Thankfully Elvira would snap him out of his thoughts, sending him off to gather a few more books for them to cross reference. The Moon Elf's heart would skip a beat at Elvira's words, his cheeks taking on a rosy hue, but this was enough to spurn him on to get up and get the job done. With his smile growing all the brighter, Rinn would place a single hand on Elvira's leg and rise from his seat. "Why of course~ It'd be best to cross reference these works, like Katsandra said, yes?" From there, Rinn would make his way back towards the pile of rubble that Elvira had just grabbed her tomes from. Once he managed to collect about a dozen or so, he would make his way back towards the table, graciously setting them beside her before settling back into his chair.

"So.. In the event that there still remains a bit of information that might point us in one direction or another, where do you guys think we should be looking?" As he had asked this, his gaze would quickly flicker towards Elvira before ultimately settling on the pile of books that Katsandra had brought over. With a quick motion, Rinn would grab one of the books from Katsandra's pile and another from the pile that he just brought to Elvira. He would then proceed to open each of the books, scanning their table of contents for any mention of gods outside of the main Charonian pantheon.

Katsandra scratched her head, feeling the weight of the task upon her shoulders, as she examined the vast array of books and scrolls that were meticulously spread across the table in front of her. She couldn't help but let out a perplexed sigh, her crossed arms conveying a sense of frustration that had started to seep into her bones. "Well, isn't this a pain in the head," she muttered under her breath, her voice laced with a tinge of disappointment. She had expected this investigation to yield a plethora of clues by now, but it seemed they were caught in the clutches of a daunting pickle, their progress hindered by an unexpected roadblock.

Turning her gaze towards the others in the room, Katsandra observed their expressions, noting the shared furrowed brows of confusion and determination. It was clear that they were all equally perplexed by the lack of breakthroughs. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place?" she pondered aloud, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty. They had exhaustively cross-referenced every available resource, leaving no stone unturned, yet the answers they sought remained frustratingly elusive. It was disheartening to think that perhaps Scern and Vulcradeaus were simply masters at obscuring their tracks, leaving behind a trail of breadcrumbs that had been devoured by the cunningly opportunistic birds, leaving no evidence for the investigators to follow.

Nevertheless, Katsandra refused to let discouragement consume her drive. She leaned in closer to the table, her eyes scanning the intricate writings on the scrolls, determined to uncover even the faintest whisper of a clue despite having a feeling that they won't find anything.