The Sea of Ash is a perilous journey,across a cold desert — but when one is summoned by the call of adventure, one likely does not care too much about how cold it is. Not all of the horses survived the journey in; and a carriage was abandoned — so for any characters that would have opted to travel via carriage over horseback, will find themselves forced to partner-up with someone on horseback over the course of the journey.
You find yourselves resting at various campsites… most abandoned, but functional. It's clear that the Sea of Ash has nomadic peoples who do not stay in one place for very long. It's not the warmest or safest camp, and your party will take turns being on watch.
After a grueling two weeks of travel, you arrive at the location marked on the map, and a missive has been sent back to Tevinter to request aid after one of the cooks took ill. The cook was sent back with a mage, and the group moved further on with the hope that aid would arrive before they needed it.
The building in front of you is large, and falling to pieces in some places. But what's most interesting are the life-size statues that you encounter upon approach. They appear to be griffons — but surely, they're just statues, right?
Some of you are examining the statues, others are looking around on high alert — smart of you. But before your party can enter, you hear what sounds like a screech — and then you hear the flapping of wings as something ascends into the air, exiting through a large hole in the roof.
"Was that a griffon?" One of the Assistant Professors inquires, excitedly ushering the party further in.
TLDR;;
It took approximately 2 weeks to travel from Tevinter to the Sea of Ash.
You arrive at an old, run-down observatory, which you were expecting as you were sent to this location to see if there were any truths to the rumors of griffons being hidden here.
There are 2 Asst. Professors from Tevinter with you; they are powerful mages, NPCed.
On your journey you lost a cook and many of your horses. Characters would have had to double up on horseback.
The Sea of Ash is extremely cold at night, extremely hot during the day, so make sure your characters are packed well.
You've now entered the location after hearing what might've been a griffon, and seeing statues of griffons just before the first room.
As good as it was to discover that another old friend had survived the Gallows, Quinn was quite ready to be done sharing a horse with Caro Byrne. Alas, for this was only the halfway point in the journey. Simultaneously sunburned and aching from the cold, subsisting on poor ration, he hadn’t been this uncomfortable since the never-ending skirmishing on Seheron.
Thank the Maker for that.
Quinn dismounted and tended to his mount. Poor beast; a sweet tempered gelding he’d purchased only a few days before leaving the city. He feared it would be quite ruined by this trip – not that they’d traveled especially fast, but the beasts had overburdened for some time now. Would relief and new mounts from Tevinter eventually come? Perhaps. Met on the road, with everything of importance already done.
“Was that a griffon?”
“It seems statistically unlikely.” He hoped not. As it was, he could not in good conscience tie his horse in place. It should at least have a chance at running. Quinn unbuckled the saddle and set it in the ash, near the foundation stones of Parthanakios. He spent a few further moments redistributing gear, from saddlebags to backpack.
“But shall we go and see?” Quinn scrambled up the front steps, pausing to study one of the statues up close. For being a thousand years old, this one in particular seemed in extraordinary good shape. He touched the edge of a wing – feeling the delicate texture of quills and vane in glasslike obsidian.
TLDR
Quintilian shared a horse with his old friend, Caro Byrne.
The horses are in bad condition; Quinn leaves his loose in case giant winged predators are actually about.
Quinn made to go inside but got distracted by the artistry of one of the griffon statues.
Once again Caro found himself astride an unfamiliar horse just truly lost in the wilderness. Someone claimed to know where they were going, but they would either way. Being lost at this point was inviting brutal mutiny. As the observatory's peak statues came into view, Caro saw the audible sigh hit their guides. Tempers once thin were braced again. The biting wind was foul but Caro sat straighter on the back of Quin's horse. As the statues grew larger their keen and wary eyes locked with Caro and he balked a moment staring down suddenly. Caro quietly slid off of the back of the haggard beast and shouldered his camping pack, striding towards the sundered gates.
Seeing Quin again was a strange moment. The awkward social panic of meeting someone who recognizes you before you recognize them. Then doubly so because they knew you when you were so much less than you are now. When they've seen you at your lowest, can they ever really see you normally again? Either way, anxiety aside it was nice to see he was doing at least as well as Caro was at this particular moment. It always seemed that when Caro ran into someone from the Kirkwall circle they were bound for the ditch more so than anything so grand as scraping by. He watched as Quin approached the statues and followed suit.
The black shimmering stone depicted a rather standard if terrifying depiction of a griffon. Caro closed his eyes a moment, concentrating, before reaching out with his magic and studying the stone ahead. He winced heavily as the screech nearly broke his concentration, his neck, retreating into his shoulders. “If the head on this statue is any indication, that probably wasn't a griffon.” He said, mainly to himself. “This one seems to have an eagle head, and eagles sound more like chickens than birds of prey.” He knew he was just looking for reasons that I wasn't more than speaking definitive fact about a creature he had no practical knowledge of, but it felt reassuring either way. Caro took a heavy breath and set his shoulders before heading through the shattered gates
Tldr
Caro is somewhat grumpled
Caro investigated the statues of griffons with earth magic
Caro reassured himself it probably wasn't a griffon and headed inside.
Genthus's stomach grumbled loudly as he dismounted his horse, patting the poor creature firmly on its haunch as he freed his axe from its saddle. He was lucky, he supposed, that he'd not had to share a horse like Caro and his Quin friend, but it had been by necessity; the first and only day the poor creature had tried to carry him and someone else, its legs had wobbled by the time they made camp. It didn't help that there was little graze in this frigid land, and that plenty of their food had disappeared along with the chef. Genthus had offered to help, but there was little cooking to do in the first place without food.
Well, at worst... Sparing the horse a glance as he handed off the reigns to someone tying them all up, the mount whinied almost in awareness, eyes glancing at him as if to say "don't even think about it".
... then again, who's last tasted griffon meat? A fight and a feast. The idea alone was enough to breathe some life back into the weary warrior, shouldering his axe and pack before stepping up to the building proper.
Then came the screech, ringing in Genthus's ears like so many bells. His smile grew as the sound faded, the weariness of travel and the labors of misfortune rolling off his shoulders, his posture righting. Hopping and heaving his way up the entrance of the building, he would catch up to the wizards with zeal, trudging heavily. Listening for a moment, he heard them as they analyzed the statues, but listened further for additional calls or yells from further in. When none came after a few seconds, he nonetheless drew his axe and kept it slung back over his shoulder, flexing an elbow, getting ready.
"They've a lion's body, no? Perhaps lungs like that can make even a chicken screech ring loud." Peering forward into the darkness, he'd crane his neck, looking for something, anything that was moving. The way his feet shuffled, giving him little bursts of speed as they continued in that kept putting him just a few feet in front of the wizards, it was clear that his self-control was only just managing to keep him from sprinting forward; a practice that he knew, at minimum, would annoy the wizards.
"Besides, that was an alert screech at worst. When it sees us, who knows what it might sound like..." Genthus's voice dipped as it trailed off, barely-restrained excitement giving it a ring of its own.
TLDR
* Genthus is all kinds of DTF (down to fight)
* Genthus is also hungry and wonders if griffons taste like chicken
* Genthus is listening for/looking for activity, axe in-hand
After abdicating the throne and leaving his duties as the Lord Chancellor of Tantervale behind him, he found himself rather listless in life. He felt sure he’d made the right decisions for himself, but he just wasn’t sure what came next for him now that he was no longer tied to the Dwarven people or the people of Tantervale. Realising he needed something to keep himself occupied, when he heard about a group to find Griffons, he felt like maybe that was just the thing.
Garryn had remained silent for most of the journey, his mind preoccupied with the mission at hand. The cold nights and scorching days had taken their toll on him, but he remained vigilant, knowing that their success depended on his sharp senses and quick thinking.
Adjusting the strap of his satchel, he moved closer to the front of the group, his eyes scanning the dilapidated structure ahead. The statues were indeed impressive, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Stay alert, he whispered to the others, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger.
The eerie silence of the place did little to ease his nerves. As Garryn moved forward, he couldn't help but notice subtle movements in the shadows, almost as if the statues themselves were shifting ever so slightly. Determined to uncover the truth, he continued forward. He raised an eyebrow at the talk about chickens.
My younger brother used to run around as a child going, buck buck buck, pretending to be a chicken, not that either of us had ever heard chickens or eagles, but it was something our father had told him once. The dwarf had never left Orzammar until he was eighteen and the entire population had to flee to the surface, that felt like another lifetime ago now, not that anyone here knew his story, as he’d kept any information about his upbringing to himself. Nope, as far as anyone except Dora was concerned he was just another surface dwarf.
TLDR
1. Garryn is part of the party.
2. He mentioned to everyone to stay alert
3. He tells a story about his childhood, but is vague about details as to where that childhood took place or with whom
Theo was happy to be off the blasted horse, as she slid down to the ground below the animal's feet, spitting into the ash, before she too, unsaddled the beast of burden. The mare was a good one she had bought in Kirkwall, from a trusted friend. She would make sure the horse made its way back home to it's stable at a quiet little tavern, or she would be giving her old lover a sizeable purse for the loss. Even if she had bought her, she didn't like the idea of one of Mina's animals dying out here. She hadn't minded riding with Garryn either -- after all, they were old and fast friends at this point.
She listed to the alarm call, and agreed with the other warrior -- that was indeed an alarm call, meant to let other's know that there were potential predators or usurpers in their territory -- now whether it was a Griffon or not, well, she had no clue. She was here because when she had been little, nothing more than a baby, her father had told her a story about how dwarves had rode the beasts they were looking for, warriors mounted on great deadly beasts that would only respond to one that was worthy.
It was a silly tale, she knew it, there was no way it could be true, but she wasn't about to share the story, lest they tell her she wasn't going to be allowed to try and ride one of them in the future. She'd keep her childhood dream of being able to dive bomb a battle ground as a rage fueled canon ball to herself. Yup. Hairs on the back of your neck standing on end yet, Gar? She reached over and scrubbed her fingers over the younger man's neck to try and calm him some.
The other man, probably a mage, was silent, but the dark headed one. Aye, might as well go and see, sure as hell beats standing around looking like tourists. She reached back and tugged Vera from the battle axe's sheath on her back, happy to have the 4 foot, double sided axe in hand. Nodding to Gar, she started to head inside.
TL;DR:
1. Dora rode with Garryn. They know one another outside this quest.
2. She has a dream of being a skyborne berserker due to a story her father told her as a child.
3. She's now armed with her axe, and heading inside.
The Professors are the least concerned about a battle — certainly not looking for a fight, either, as some of their party members seem to be... But neither of them chat with the party, too busy exploring the ruins.
"Hey! There's lyrium here, the red shit," one Professor called. If anyone ventured towards the man, they'd find him taking a careful sample of the lyrium vein he'd come across.
The further into the room they went, the more obvious it became that this place was infected with Red Lyrium, and the group would need to be careful to avoid any ill effects. You disperse, to find any kind of evidence for the people who sent you; you're seeking knowledge, after all. Maybe a griffon or two, if you can manage it.
Loud clicking is heard, once everyone has entered the room — it's not obvious what they're hearing at first; until a large beetle scampered into sight, followed by two more. They were traveling along the veins of lyrium, coming for the Professor that was taking a sample.
He darted backwards, sample clutched in one hand, ducking behind one of the party-members. They are armed and these Professors are not, though they're not necessarily useless, but less likely to enter combat.
But right now, this one seems like a coward.
TLDR;;
You enter the atrium of the Outpost and find a Red Lyrium Infection. No-one will have any symptoms thusfar, but later curveball rolls might see that changed.
There are 3, large, overgrown beetles attempting to get one of the Professors, for taking a sample of the lyrium. He is hiding behind a member of the party.
One of you hears or feels a faint pulsing; a pull of magic.
Please use !combat in the discord curveball tracking area. For the purpose of this fight, to defeat all three beetles, we need 3 combat passes; I'll roll for both NPC Professors in my next post if the fight has not ended by then.
Quintilian followed after the mercenaries, listening to the pair of dwarves talk. Aren’t we all tourists right now? It was dark inside the ruin except for a lambent red glow and the damn professors split and ran off. Quite like chickens themselves. They were going to get themselves killed.
If not here, then definitely when they tried to bring a sample of red lyrium across the border into Tevinter.
“You know that ‘the red shit’ is forbidden for good reason. Get rid of it.” While not usually a stickler for laws, any mage who had lived through Meredith and Orsino’s death spiral knew to fear red lyrium and the madness it inspired. Quinn studied the vein with his hands folded behind his back, reminding himself to breathe.
And then three bulbous shapes resolved out of the dark. Vermin – totally immune to mind magic. Protecting their nest, their food source? Coming for Idiot One, either way. Quintilian’s form dropped to all fours, a surge of magic leaving a Seheron jungle cat where he had been.
The tiger surged past the professor, a blur of orange and stripes. He dodged sword-length mandibles to sink fangs and claws into the first beetle’s head, disgusting ichor filling his mouth.
TLDR
Quinn followed Professor 1 and scolded him for messing with the red lyrium.
Beetles!
Quinn shapeshifted into a tiger and succeeded a combat roll against one of the beetles.
The appearance of red lyrium was a bucket of cold water on a dreary day. Caro snapped from a near exhausted haze to hyper vigilance the second the red washed the colour from his face. Red lyrium's influence could have soaked into anything they find within, living or dead. He hadn't seen it much in recent years, but when he roamed the bogs, any red glinting led him to pick up sticks and keep moving. No choice here but through unfortunately, even if he himself dared not approach Victor bade him forward. Almost reflexively his will manifested into a suit of armour and a heavy blade in his hand. A warrior of eld once again walked these ruined halls.
As if summoned by Caro's apprehension a local breed of mega fauna burst forth and rushed forward, the heavy taps of their exoskeleton feet against against the stonework sounded like dice being thrown. Caro set his feet to charge but was interrupted by a tiger leaping past him and immediately feasting on the lead beetle. He froze a moment, there was more of a chance of a lighting bolt standing there admonishing his attire than there was a naturally occurring tiger in these climes. “Fucking 'ell” is about all he managed to say before he nearly stifled a laugh. Despite the size inconsistencies, this functionally was a house cat feasting on a bug it found in the middle of a house. He had seen it enough to recognize it, even down to the upsetting realization that random beetles taste much worst than you expected.
No further time for confusion and hesitation, it was time for action. There wasn't valor to be won in defeating rude beasts, but it was there to be lost sitting around. He charged, his steel sabatons kicking up angry sparks. At the last moment he spun, sweeping his blade from the side to behind him before finishing the spin and bringing it down as hard as he could at the end of the arc, glancing off the crest on the head of the beetle, and shattering his blade into a rain of steel fragments that melted back into loose mana out of his possession. His forward moment took him into the bulk of the beetle and now damaged horn jabbed heavily into steel breastplate, and Caro spun off of the creature, landing on his ass, back to stone wall behind him. He let go of the still vibrating hilt of his blade, letting it dissappate.
Tldr
Caro bricked it seeing red lyrium
Caro saw a tiger, said a bad word.
Caro tried to fight, stacked into a wall instead. (Failed combat roll)
Genthus wouldn't bat at an eye at the mention of red lyrium, partially because it didn't impress him, but primarily because he didn't really know what it was to begin with. Lyrium was that silver fluid the dwarves used to enchant swords, wasn't it? That rang a vague bell, something that Magnus and their grandfather had mentioned so many times in their youth. Pausing, Genthus racked his memory, trying to pin down more. Why did he associate it with the color blue?
Gazing up at some of the nodes, he'd grunt and wave a hand at the air, dismissing the train of thought entirely. He'd defer to Quin; it was forbidden, there was cause for that, and it shouldn't be had. Good enough for him.
What was more than good enough was the Professor's yell of surprise, the sounds of skittering loud and surprisingly heavy. Head snapping to see, Genthus would cock his head in confusion, then shrug in immediate acceptance. Beetles weren't the prize he'd set out for, but they would do. Putting both hands on his axe, he'd break into a jog after the tiger formerly known and Quin and Caro, a jab of his elbow as he ran by the Professor shoving the cowering man back an extra foot or two. Genthus would raise his axe as he neared, holding it aloft his side, ready to bring it down on the untargeted beetle. But as Caro's attack failed and the mage wound up on his ass, plans would change.
Stomping a foot down, Genthus would anchor himself and spin out with his other leg, letting his own forward momentum become centripetal. Stomping the other foot down as he turned to face the beetle menacing Caro, a yell would precede the rush of metal through air and the sickening crunch of impact. His axe would split the side of the beetle's carapace like an eggshell, a dozen cracks of varying sickly squelch and scope emanating as the blade found purchase in flesh below. Winking at Caro, Genthus would adjust his grip on the handle and begin to heave, already trying to pull his weapon free for another swing.
TLDR:
Genthus ain't afraid of no rocks (he probably should be)
Genthus shoved the Professor back and went charging in after the mages
Genthus rolled a hit and gave one of the beetle's shells a partial percussive makeover
Garryn's stomach growled audibly as he trudged along with the party, his mind wandering to thoughts of a hearty meal. Suddenly, when the beetles appeared, charging towards them with an ominous hum. Garryn’s eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the plump, juicy beetles – a rare delicacy among his kind.
Oh, now this is what I call a treat! he exclaimed, almost salivating at the prospect.
Without a second thought, he grabbed his crossbow and aimed it at the nearest beetle. But the anticipation of savoring such a fine feast made his hands tremble. His hunger was overwhelming, and he could almost taste the beetles’ crunchy shells and tender insides.
As he pulled the trigger, the bolt whizzed through the air, but his eagerness had thrown off his aim. The bolt soared past the beetles, embedding itself harmlessly in a tree trunk several yards away.
Garryn grunted in frustration, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. Guess I’m too hungry to shoot straight. Time to get a little closer! He adjusted his grip on the crossbow, ready to make up for his miss and earn his dinner.
tldr;
1. Garryn is hungry, apparently he’s the hobbit of the party
2. He grabs his crossbow first to go long range and shoots but misses
3. Queue embarrassment
Aww, fuck. Everything had been fun and games there for a moment. Gar had been talking about food, the damned mages had found red lyrium, and the tall one had been observant. One mage hid on his own, and the other was pulled behind Genthus, the tall one. Guides safe, it meant there was battle to be done.
And then she saw the beetles with her own eyes, and she was back to the blood mage that had tried to kill her a few months back. Back to the spiders that had burst out of the ground all around her, as her companions had turned on her. Back to laying in a ruin with her insides almost outside of her and only because Ruth had been around had she lived.
She tried to shake it. She was there in the moment, feeling the addrenaline, the stirrings of battle giving her the extra bravado she needed, even if she was still fighting the internal battle of memories. Dora's hands twisted on the haft of her axe, and as she wound Vera up for a swing on one of the beetles, she heard the whistle of a projectile and ducked, hard as a bolt went a little wide. She had to drop her axe and self, in that moment, hands coming up to cover her head. A crossbow bolt through anywhere else she could, potentially, live through, the head, probably not.
When she was sure it was fine, she stood back up to her full height, What the hells was that, Gar? The beetles didn't matter in that moment, as she turned to look, the fear of bugs, and mages going to turn on, and try to kill her gone, no, that stray bolt did it. She shook her head and sighed. Focus up old girl, there's still work to be done.
She took a deep breath and refocused on the beetles. Two were still skittering around, after all.
Tl:dr:
1. Dora choked almost immediately.
2. She got over it.
3. She missed cause she ducked a crossbow bolt.
4. She's properly ready to fight now.
You're in luck — you won't become dinner to radioactive beetles this day; thanks to the professor hiding by himself. Professor B is still holding lyrium, ignoring everyone's attempts to get him to put it down. Professor A, though, slipped across the room, until he had the last two beetles in his sights.
A cut on his hand was all it took, before bettle #1 was skewered. One more beetle was left, and before anyone else in the group could react, they'd hear a loud screech.
Professor B dropped his lyrium in his haste to dash away from the large creature that landed, snapping the beetle in its beak as it glared at the strangers in the old ruins. A griffon, which earned a shout of approval from Professor A.
"We must be in the right place, then!" He shouted, ducking behind a statue as the griffon took flight, beetle dangling in its mouth. "It was gorgeous! Did you see that wingspan?" Professor A called to B.
The two professors were over-eager, now, to move further into the ruins. The room they step into is pulsing with magic; a force-field seems to be protecting something. Both Professors approach it.
"Are these eggs? Look!" Professor A stage-whispered to B, as if the party shouldn't hear about the find.
Professor B tapped a hand on the force-field, yelping as it shocked him. "But how do we get to them?"
"Everyone start searching! There's got to be a way in." Professor A called.
TLDR;;
- Beetle #1 is killed by Prof A who's a blood mage.
- Beetle #2 is snatched by an angry griffon.
- The next room has a lot of magic energy; a force-field pulsing in the center of it. It holds what appears to be a nest of fossilized eggs.
Next Steps:
You will roll the dice for what you find in this room. You're looking for anything that'll help you open the force field and get to the eggs.
1: You find a diary page, telling you about the type of outpost this was; how this was once a research posting, where griffons were studied and genetically manipulated by Tevene scientists. 2: You discover a diary page, and it just says 'Send help, please, they're cannbaliz...' before the page smears in blood.
3: You find diagrams, detailing how griffons moult, and other care tips.
4: You find a letter that talks about how the griffon experiments went horribly wrong.
5: You find an entry that talks about the magic of the force-field; you learn it's an incubation chamber, and that the very last batch of eggs were frozen with time magic. There should be a lever somewhere, where you can undo the spell...
Quintilian backed away from the dying beetle, hissing and spitting to clear his mouth. Despite the young dwarf’s excitement, the creature’s fluids were entirely not to his own taste. Besides, if the creatures were protecting the red lyrium, there seemed a good chance that they’d pass on their taint in the eating.
Thankfully, the battle was over quickly. He stood a moment, scenting the air. The smell of that live griffon was everywhere. At least now that he was looking for it in a more compatible form. Musk and oily feathers a plenty, but no horse blood yet. How long that would last, he couldn’t say.
Was it some defensive feature of these ruins that made the statues? He hoped they didn’t slip up and leave statues of themselves to confuse the next group of adventurers.
Following into the next room, the hair on his scruff stood on end from the magical energies in the air. Impressive that something as demanding as temporal stasis had lasted this long. What was it drawing power from, he wondered?
To search the room, he’d need hands. Quinn shifted back, patrolling the edge of the room. His boots dragged through a handful of scattered papers. He bent to pick them up, skimming the text.
Send help, please, they're cannibaliz..
The griffons? Presumably. It wasn’t unusual for creatures to devour their eggs under certain dire circumstances. Yet wouldn’t the researchers have intervened? … What a strange mystery, yet he saw nothing to trigger the stasis bubble.
TLDR
Quinn is a human again.
Hmm, there sure are a lot of mysterious things here.
Quinn rolled a 2 on his d5, yielding up a spooky note but no solutions.
Caro watched Quinn turn back into Quinn with a mix of sheepish embarrassment and relief. Between the dueling megafauna and his now screaming headache he wasn't ready for the confounding calculus an errant tiger would bring. Caro shook it off a moment and stood up, dismissing his armour and shaking the cobwebs off. His hand brushed a heavy leather tome as he stood up and tucked it under his arm instinctively. He blinked a moment and surveyed the ruined atrium. He could feel the magic emanating from just in front of him. The thrum vibrated just behind his teeth as he stared. He puzzled a moment, and stared down at the book within his hands. The thousand years of language adaptation had not been kind to the title of this tome, but even from here he could make out the basic meaning. “The keping and husbonderie of the Gryffon” Wild that this survived, He dared not open it now without some level of preservation magic being cast on it.
The original goal was a survey of an abandoned ecological area but quickly things were getting off track and fast. Within the last couple of minutes they saw a statue of an extinct and mythological creature, found a book about their care, saw one swooping in from god knows where and then saw what he had to assume were griffon eggs. If this was a web of synchronicity, he'd hate to see the spider that lurked just beyond. He stared at the eggs just beyond the force and squinted. The thing about traps however, is that despite all of the wisdom and caution that you could have, if the bait is good enough, you snatch it despite the jaws snapping shut, and if he was right about this bait, he had no choice but continue. He pushed into the force wall with his body and let it push him back a few feet.
“Interesting” stood to an angle to the opening and threw a stray rock at opening. Caro watched as the stone didn't deflect off of the wall and instead was thrown in a straight line back down the hall. “It's not a true wall” his thoughts began to run. It was a repulsion field based around the center of the room. “Genthus, get a camp blanket and stand right here. I have a stupid plan, and you might need to catch something.” Caro closed his eyes and sat back down on the floor, letting his senses seep into the stone. He pushed his magic out through the floor and let it creep toward the eggs. If the field was as one way as he thought he should be able to let the obedient earth push the eggs through to them. If the repulsion field launched the eggs in theory Genthus could catch them. And if he was wrong, well, so what if he spent a couple minutes shuffling them around the room.
Tldr
Caro found a book on griffon care (rolled a 3)
Caro is suspicious when greeted by good news
Caro is attempting chicanery to bypass barriers in order to steal stuff
