SPQT -- Library day

Ryan showed, so Ben ran us through a mild three-person adventure. Then we broke in "Clerical Errors," the long-awaited expansion to Munchkin, and played Seafarers of Cataan. I made a dating error last week; instead of February 20-21, the last adventure took place over February 28-March 1.

March 3 - Claudia sat in on Thyra's job interview. Of course, they might be jointly vetting her for their "special project," but I tend to agree with Mater about the implications of this. I don't think her ideas for what I should wear to the wedding are practical, however, given that I should be prepared for contingencies.

March 7 - Library work. Uncle has reason to think that a book he and Claudia need for that "special project" was hidden somewhere in the Citadel when Azydas fell to the Acheans 1,500 years ago. Decimus and I spent the day poring over maps, plans, and notes in the Citadel's special collections, and Robyn went to talk to Larius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who was rumored to have a line on the same work. Decimus and I feel that the foundation supports are a promising venue.

March 8 - Domitius's information agreeing with our deductions, and including also the phrase "bricked up," we were able to conduct an effective search this morning. I turned the three of us and Domitius ethereal, and we proceeded to explore as many pillars as we could, with the result that Robyn found a bricked-in stairway leading to a mirror not unlike the portals in Aquitania. The Citadel's architect was unwilling to let us use either a dig spell or an earth elemental to clear the stairwell, but consented to use of Robyn's new pipes of building. He audibly did not have the hang of them yet, but he cleared the way and down we went. Decimus has loaned me the helm of teleportation indefinitely, so we had no apprehension about passing through the doorway. I went first, holding hands with Robyn, who held hands with Domitius, who held hands with Decimus, who had Primus round his neck, so we were secure as could well be.

It opened into a large, curiously lit space full of barrels, crates, chests, etc. I barely had time to look about me before Decimus warned me that an air elemental was swooping down on me. It did negligible damage before I managed to dismiss it. I don't know where we were, but it certainly was not the elemental plane of air. A "locate objects" spell revealed that most of the containers had books in them, but for the most part we were dealing with unlocked boxes of bureaucratic records. Although we lacked Gaius and Corvus, I had a spell which gave me a slim chance of detecting traps; fortunately, there weren't any. A locked chest yielded to Decimus's knock spell, and Ahenobarbus quickly identified the contents as the book we were looking for. In addition, the chest had a false bottom, concealing a full matched jewelry set. We were at a loss to tell why it was there, but it had no magical aura and was not cursed, according to my rod. Decimus insisted that I try it on, in case it had a dweomer-concealing spell on it and wearing it would activate some effect, and it did indeed fit well, but nothing happened.

Robyn seems mildly discontented that he involved Domitius "unnecessarily," maintaining that we could have found the book just as easily without him; but the deal did no one harm, and he owes us a favor, since he probably could not have gained access to the Citadel without us. The expansion of knowledge is always a good thing, though I understand that there may be reasons of state and national security to control access his particular book.

And I didn't have to use a single healing spell, which I always count as part of a good day.