The team meet Orrin Glass, with whom Havilar quickly brokers an arrangement to clean up Matreous’s room in exchange for Orrin to keep them out of the incident report for the dead mage.

As they clean up the room Marvoril is suddenly attacked by the book he was perusing. The book, Mazfroth’s Might Digressions, was among a pile of others that bore the Candlekeep stamp, and which must have been borrowed from the library.

The book turned out to be a Gingwatzim, a being of pure energy summoned from the ethereal plane, disguised as the book. The wizard who summons a Gingwatzim can compel it to adopt the appearance of any other object.

The Gingwatzim explodes, spraying ectoplasm around the room. As Orrin pops back in to remind you of something, he is shocked by the worsening mess, and the reports that a book has gone missing.

This is now the third Gingwatzim book in as many weeks. At a minimum, that book needs to be replaced. Orrin told you that he’ll need to report this third book to the Sages of Candlekeep. In the meantime he said two of the three seekers who brought Gingwatzim books are still here and you might want to seek them out.

He tells you Yalerion Highscroll, the seeker who contributed Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions, is often at the Hearth with a book, and Valor, who brought The Dark Hunger is still in Candlekeep paying penance for having brought in a book that also led to an ectoplasmic event.

You make your way to the Hearth and sidle up to the bar. A 20-something bookish type is at the end of the bar with their nose in a book. (Silk orders the party beer and Havilar a mek. Alas, Havilar ends up with crampbark tea in lieu of mek and Elden insisted on getting some tea with his wine).

Elden approaches the young scholar who introduces themself as Yalerion Highscroll. They confirm that they did indeed buy Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions in the Wide, the large market in Baldur’s Gate. Elden places his wine-soaked teabag on the book Yalerion was enjoying, to their dismay.

They couldn’t remember the name of the seller, but seems to remember it started with “A”. Silk has his doubts at first, but quickly came to see that Yalerion was being sincere in their shock, and that they really believed they had a the genuine book.

Hoping for more information, you decide to track down Valor. The Bartender, who’s no good with faces, tells you he’s not sure “I see a lotta faces buddy”, but the Ogre in the corner, might.

While you’ve been standing at the bar you’ve noticed that ever patron that enters the bar waves to the Ogre, who looks up from his book to greet the guest by name.

Radref approaches the ogre and learns that his name is Little One. Radref asks about Little One’s book, they riff a bit about being fighter types, but Little One prefers a book to the sword these days, and taps his ornate headband.

Marvoril steps in and asks if Little One knows of anyone named Valor. He does! In fact, he saw her replacing shingles on the south half of The Hearth’s roof, she’s probably still there!

What does Valor have to say for herself? What word will Orrin bring from the Sages? Will the wine tea make Elden vomit (Make a constitution saving throw!?). Find out soon!