Library Under the Mountain, Part 2
Group decides to investigate the second floor of the librarians’ dormitories as they go down from the map room. Irving finds both an Encyclopedia and a copy of the legends that Cynthia had found earlier in Collodi’s room. This copy had been thumbed through and had dogeared pages, referencing a fight against a great beast as well as specific members of the “Mage Knights”: Joyce and Petrus.
Petrus was a sort of leader for the organization and specialized in earth magic; Joyce was their subordinate, a sort of lieutenant in the group, and specialized in light magic.
Sneaking out to the lobby and then up to the second floor, the party finds a group of book golems and animated book swarms ransacking the shelves for books and transporting them up a spiral staircase to the third floor; Irving realizes with a flash of insight that they are stealing geographical and historical data for this corner of the world: Marilun, Bluewick, the Lyceum, and points nearby. He also figures out that the book golems will leave the party alone if they don’t bother the swarms.
Attempting to sneak to the third floor, they find a gigantic orrery chamber, along with a black-armored knight who encourages them to leave immediately, and alludes to Collodi being locked away in the room behind her; Cynthia and Serafina stubbornly refuse to leave, starting a brawl.
Deducing her weakness to light, Cynthia beat the knight to within an inch of her life and she was forced to beat a hasty retreat, but not before the knight unintentionally revealed her interest in the tales of the Knight Joyce.
The party unbars the door to the next room and finds a domed room magically enchanted to show the night sky — something no one has seen in a while — and an arrangement of zodiac symbols etched into the floor. Dr. Collodi and her TAs/bodyguards were surviving primarily on enchanted grapes produced by a magitech container at her side; her explanation for their absence is that they intended to show the people of Marilun how to produce their own wooden amulets but academic curiosity took over when they heard about the library and they delayed in order to visit there. After being given the letter from Serafina, she headed back to town and promised to answer the party’s questions there.