During a peaceful, uneventful night, a small collection of pages is slid under the door to the library.

The Stone Forest is a place of many secrets. It's a place of many dangers, and one should not take such a place lightly. Boundless are not the only threat within the labyrinth; an unassuming meadow bathed in sunlight was such a place where many a catfolk could meet an untimely fate. One wrong step, you could quarrel with vines snapping at your paws, disorientated by the sickly sap of fallen logs, face to face with nature's wrath consumed by magic. You can find yourself wandering the maze for hours, the very rocky spires twisting and coiling around you in an attempt to trap you, to disorient you. Keep your wits about.

Animals are unwieldy within the stone walls. They can be unpredictable. Intelligent. Exercise caution. Do not pick fights with the squirrels.

Should you come across runes, do not interact. They are nature's ward against infections, Boundless and Catfolk alike.

There is nothing worth dying for in the center of the forest.

2023-02-03 23:27:53 (Edited 2023-02-03 23:29:15)

Pinned to the board, there is a page written on both sides in neat script. It reads as follows:

Dear Bill & Will, and any library staff or wandering eye that this may interest,

My name is Desembra Gray, Wayseeker and artificer from New Star City. This letter is to serve as a brief summary report of my experience in the Forest of Stones. If you wish to learn more about any details of what occurred and review the field notes I've taken, feel free to seek me at the tavern and we can arrange a meeting. I am sure you have your paws full with documenting all of the submissions you've received thus far—if you need any assistance with this, I am available to help with transcription!

- I was a part of Team 1 of the Wayseeker's expedition into the Forest of Stones. Besides myself, I was accompanied by my guildmates Abernathy, Ihrin Locke, Paxel Olliopolis, Tsern Donahue, Nico Oakenhill, and Quincy Wisearce. Between our collective outdoorsmanship and experience with magic, we were a well-rounded group that was equipped to take on the investigations into the depths of the Stone Forest.

- Our first obstacle on the expedition was a protective illusion conjured by the forest's magic. We were drawn to a voice that had been trapped by the illusion, and we too became caged in a small clearing with a small waterfall. The team was quick to deduce an error in the illusion, where the reflection in the water did not match what was in our surroundings. I do believe this error was intentional—on behalf of the forest, of course. I believe the magic wanted to test us before we proceeded further; it lacked any malice and we were able to free the Greendoze local from the illusion without any harm befalling us.

- During the night, we encountered a hoard of ghosts. Catfolks without faces, or at least, their faces became unintelligible if you tried to look for any features. They marched through our camp without any ill intention, as if we had simply been in their projected path and they took no notice of us or our supplies. Some even walked through our fire without any effect to their persons or the flames. They were murmuring something about Dragon's Rest... Even now I am perplexed why a roving band of specters speaking of a southern island would be just shy of Greendoze.

- The next day, my team encountered a centipede-like Boundless. [included is a sketch of the Boundless, alongside a written description] If I had to hazard a classification, I would categorize it as a Class 2. It was highly aggressive, possessive of the Laurelstone it clutched, and... rather handsy. At different points it grabbed me and Quincy within its spindly grasp. The team made short work of it, I myself delivering the final blow, and recovered the Laurelstone—however, we were led to what I could only describe as a nesting grounds. Multitudes of black cocoons hosted moth-like void monsters that emerged and advanced upon us, drawn to the Laurelstone. We slayed two more, but when their bodies dissolved to vicious liquid and began to merge with each other... We retreated deeper into the forest, outmatched by an enemy that had more than one phase.

Boundless in cocoons... A parody of metamorphosis. I am of the belief that they stole the cradles from insects for their own black-hearted purposes. I find it difficult to conclude that Boundless are capable of the changes of life when they do not heed he laws of nature and death. I have collected strands of the nightsilk that the Boundless produced to further study it.

- In our retreat, the team reached the Laurelstone cavern. I am sure the story from here is not much different from other accounts, so I will only note the differing details. The Boundless we encountered was a large legged serpent with the head of a boar. It must be stated that it was intelligent—I will not claim that it held thoughts, but the way it moved and attacked us was calculated and deliberate. It was not the frantic lunging of a mindless monster, but measured and considered. It even... performed magic, bastardized as it was. It made Quincy and Nico froze in place, paralyzed and hardly unable to move. The rest of the team resisted its power and attempted to hold our ground. I was downed shortly before the Boundless swarm broke the Laurelstone. And from there, well... There isn't simply enough paper left for me to explain. A bit of a cliffhanger to entice you, hm?

Apologies for the embellishing details and trailing thoughts. So much happened during those few days, and the more I think upon it, the more I feel like I have to say. If you wish to hear more of my story, again, I would be obliged.

With regards,
Desembra Gray

2023-01-31 16:09:02

Tei jolted from her book, startled that one of the librarians would walk over to her in the middle of skimming Reading Runes: How to Discover the Meaning Behind the Glyph for any interesting information. It was one of the many, many books stacked in her cubby. A full few pages flew over, and like the fickleness of wind, she had lost her spot in the thick mound of a textbook. She sighed. Just as well.

Running her paw over her head, messing up her fur in the process, she explained, ”Runes. From the ones I’ve seen in the forest.”

“Oh—well. Part of the guild? I’m… yeah, I’m a guild member. I really liked the plants. I like plants,” she added, just in case Will wanted to know. ”The flora was so cool, really—common varieties of plants like daisies, but imbued with magic enhanced by the energy of the Laurelstone, causing them to react to the stone’s desires. Which—some studies have postulated that the stones are semi-organic, actually!”

Tei stopped for a moment, furrowing her brows down at the book. ”We saw runes over there, too. Which is why I’m here. Reading books—not that I don’t like to read.”

“Reading rune books? Yeah. That. I haven’t actually touched them much since my rune sciences classes for my degree. I knew that the runes hinted at protection and ice but otherwise… I need to know.”

“This is a library though. And you’re a librarian. At work. Shouldn’t you ask someone who needs help finding a book?”

2023-01-29 19:41:38 (Edited 2023-01-29 19:43:36)

In the morning a package was discovered outside of the door. Inside of it held a pipe recording to be placed within a phonograph. The following recording was on the capsule: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EohNISKYNLTT-tGi5n0_bnB6Kmg-q6e9JZ0_6w9D2QY/edit?usp=share_link

2023-01-28 19:05:41

Wahooo yeaaaah yipeeee alright yehaww
(I'm so sorry this is so all over the place skhdskh)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZhrZWfT8ZgUaYOIjiemhzZkYqJMcHa9D7Xqs5GyEClA/edit?usp=sharing

2023-01-28 00:59:55 (Edited 2023-01-28 01:00:59)