201 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
201 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
Title: A Storm Invited: I. Shadows of the Past
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Description: A solo Cypher System campaign by bss.
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Footer: Numenera, the Cypher System, No Thank You, Evil!, Invisible Sun, and their respective logos are
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trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games
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characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte
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Cook Games, LLC. Content derived from Monte Cook Games publications is © 2013-2022 Monte Cook
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Games, LLC. <a href="/cypher/fan-use-policy">Full Disclaimer</a>.
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# Shadows of the Past
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> I started by rolling for my two cyphers, disguise module and heat attack.
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Cyne crawls through the muddy ditch, rain beating on his cloak and furthering the miserable conditions he finds himself
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in, attempting to evade the local guard searching for him. His previous attempts to slip into the library in plain sight
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having failed, his next plan was to attempt a night infiltration, where he now finds himself ducking from alley to
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alley, hiding in ditches, and the like, until he can no longer hear the guards. He must give them every sense that what
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they saw was just an errant townsperson, or perhaps a figment of their imagination, before he can continue.
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> The guard is decent but not amazing, I figure, so let's call them level 3, but it's dark and rainy, and Cyne is
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> trained in sneaking, so eased two steps...
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>
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> 1d20 = 2; **failure**
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>
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> welp
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The guard, three of them in the immediate area, find Cyne, who pulls himself out of the muck while he is surrounded,
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raising his arms slightly, in a somewhat insincere surrender. *What is my move here?* he wonders. *There's always
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lying...*
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"Just on my way home," Cyne somewhat awkwardly sputters, definitely not prepared with a practiced lie.
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> D3 Intellect task, hindered one: 1d20 = 11; **failure**
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The guards are not buying it, and begin to close in. *I don't need to kill them,* Cyne thinks, drawing his greatsword
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from overhead, attempting to get the jump on them. *But I do need to get out of here.*
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> D3 Speed task for initiative: 1d20 = 16; **success**
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>
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> D3 Might to hit a guard, one level of effort, also using Charge Weapon: 1d20 = 5; **failure**; 3-1 Might, 2-1
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> Intellect cost (current levels: Might 13, Speed 10, Intellect 12)
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>
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> geez
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Cyne strikes first, rushing in for the attack, but slightly misses, unable to make contact. His enchanted blade hums
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with energy, but strikes nothing but air.
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> Three attacks from the guards, going to take things one at a time. D3 Speed defense, with one level of training.
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>
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> 1d20 = 6; **success**, 1d20 = 14; **success**; 1d20 = 14; **success**
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>
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> let's just roll right into another attack, trying to get something going here. Cyne attacks again, same as last time
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>
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> D3 Might to hit a guard, one level of effort, also using Charge Weapon: 1d20 = 1; **fumble**; 3-1 Might, 2-1
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> Intellect cost (current levels: Might 11, Speed 10, Intellect 11)
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>
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> you've got to be kidding me
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Cyne and the guards trade ineffective blows, Cyne deftly dodging, and the guard focused on by Cyne deftly side-stepping
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his blow. Misfortune seems to beget misfortune, as another guard spots the melee in the process, joining in and adding
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to the list of attackers.
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> Attacks from the now four guards. 11, 20, 2, and 19.
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>
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> New stats after the damage: Might 8, Speed 10, Intellect 11
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Continuing to dodge blows, Cyne gives the second attacking guard a quick slip, causing him to lose his balance and fall
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face-first into the mud and muck of the alley. *A bit of luck, finally,* thinks Cyne. And then, just as suddenly, a
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guard finally makes contact, striking Cyne. The last guard also misses.
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> D3 Might to hit the prone guard, one level of effort, also eased a step as the guard is prone, also using Charge
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> Weapon: 1d20 = 11; **success**; 3-1 Might, 2-1 Intellect cost (current levels: Might 6, Speed 10, Intellect 10)
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>
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> Guard takes 9 damage and is incapacitated in one blow.
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Cyne finally strikes, landing a strong blow on the guard who slipped, dropping him. *This is stretching me further than
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I hoped it would...* thinks Cyne, as he prepares to dodge another batch of attacks.
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> D3 Speed eased one from training: 19, 19, 6
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Two guards slip on the muck, not falling, but losing their focus for a moment. Their defenses aren't lowered, but they
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may have a harder time striking Cyne for a moment, letting him focus on the remaining guard.
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> D3 Might to hit the unslipped guard, also using Charge
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> Weapon: 1d20 = 9; **success**; 2-1 Intellect cost (current levels: Might 6, Speed 10, Intellect 9)
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>
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> Guard takes 9 damage and is incapacitated in one blow.
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Another guard taken care of, Cyne prepares for the next batch of attacks, though the guards' off-balance attacks are
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especially awkward and ineffective...
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> D3 Speed eased one from training, and one from the guards being off-balance: 12, 11
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...and dodged easily. *This is getting to be a distraction,* thinks Cyne, still intending to get into the library
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tonight. *One more.*
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> D3 Might to hit one of the two remaining guards, also using Charge
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> Weapon: 1d20 = 1; **fumble**; 2-1 Intellect cost (current levels: Might 6, Speed 10, Intellect 8)
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>
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> "you've got to be kidding me" x2
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However, his attempt to take out a remaining guard and make a quick getaway backfires completely, as Cyne loses his
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balance and falls straight on his face in the muck. The stench of mud and waste is momentarily overwhelming, and his
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defenses are completely lowered for a moment, allowing the guards a perfect opportunity to strike.
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Knowing this may be the end of his adventure if he's captured here and now, Cyne strains himself to dodge as best as he
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can from the ground, as the guards rain blows.
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> D3 Speed eased one from training, hindered one from being prone, and with one level of effort: 1 **fumble** again!?
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> does my dice rolling bot need looking at?
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>
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> 5 damage from the hit, and -3 Speed from the effort: current levels: Might 1, Speed 7, Intellect 8
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>
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> D3 Speed eased one from training, hindered one from being prone, and with one level of effort: 3 **failure** oh boy...
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>
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> Might 0, Speed 2, Intellect 8
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>
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> That brings me to **Impaired** and without much room to spare. (Effort costs 1 extra per level, minor/major effects
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> lost, and bonus damage is reduced to 1)
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*urk --- The guard's not letting up!* Cyne's options are limited, still on his back, fighting against the weight of the
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mud seeping into his clothes. He has no choice but to be conservative, and hope for a bit of luck; he picks himself up,
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to prepare for the next round of blows, and does his best to prepare.
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> D3 Speed defense roll, eased one from training: 7 **success**, 10 **success**.
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*Okay, breathe. This isn't over yet.*
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> 1d6+1 first heal: 7, thank god. new levels: Might 7, Speed 2, Intellect 8, back to **Hale**. I figure this way I can
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> take two hits and still stay out of Impaired state.
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Cyne takes a moment to catch his breath, and feeling just a bit smug despite his circumstances, quips, "any chance we
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can just call this a draw?" The guards, however, are not interested in the offer.
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> D3 Speed defense roll, eased one from training: 8 **success**, 17 **success**.
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"Okay then, fine. I guess we'll continue doing things this way."
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> D3 Might to hit one of the two remaining guards, also using Charge Weapon: 1d20 = 10; **success**; 9 points of damage
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> so another guard drops; 2-1 Intellect cost (current levels: Might 7, Speed 2, Intellect 7)
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Definitely feeling more than a bit lucky, Cyne steps forward and --- *finally*, he thinks --- connects with his
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enchanted greatsword, causing another guard to crumple to the ground, incapacitated. The numbers are finally in his
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favor, but he still has one guard to worry about.
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> D3 Speed defense roll, eased one from training: 19 **success with minor effect**. Perfect, glad I healed, too, so I
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> get soemthing to take advantage of --- a window of opportunity!
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The remaining guard swings wildly at Cyne, missing and losing his footing. This is Cyne's opportunity to put distance
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between himself and the one remaining guard again, and he quickly takes off. He is winded, reeling from multiple blows
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from the guards, and perhaps even weighed down by the mud he collected on his clothes --- he can't rely on extra effort
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at this point, drawing instead on whatever natural ability he has left.
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> D3 Speed task to flee and lose the remaining guard: 19 **success with minor effect**. yesssss
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Cyne gets away, quickly losing the remaining guard chasing him, and even finding a discrete, covered corner in the alley
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to gather himself in. He takes some time to ensure he has lost the last guard, and tends to his wounds --- wraps,
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mostly, he is not exactly a field medic.
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> 1d6+1 second heal: 2. well I guess that offsets the amazing first roll, which I definitely needed. Might 7, Speed 4,
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> Intellect 8.
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Having collected himself, Cyne turns his attention to infiltrating the library. The Grand Library of Berna is known for
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its collection of works related to lost civilizations, and it is little more than a hunch that brought Cyne there, but
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the best lead he has at the moment. Pulling his hood back up over his head, both to shield himself from the rain and to
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dodge any remaining bits of attention, he approaches the library.
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The battle with the guards certainly took a toll on him, and as he approaches, he goes over his plan one last time. He
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has one shot at this, he figures, after some pushy talking during the day, if he can't get in and out tonight, he'll
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likely have heightened the security and scrutiny over the archives for a while. He needs to navigate a series of walls
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and peaks to get into an area of the library that is less protected, and then use his knowledge of the wards inside to
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get back down to the archives without causing any issues. Accomplishing that should net him four, five hours to check
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his item against some records.
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> Difficulty 4 Speed task to jump multiple walls, scale walls, and so on, to enter the library, eased by one with a
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> level of Effort: 1d20 = 1; **fumble**.
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>
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> what the hell
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>
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> I think I can treat the fumble as an extra d6 of damage as he falls somewhere in the process before getting in. 1d6 =
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> 1. -3 Speed expended, -1 Might damage, putting Cyne at Might 6, Speed 1, Intellect 8
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The plan fails spectacularly, and Cyne quickly finds himself injured further and with no choice but to slink back into
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the shadows, dejected. His ankle sprained and with no more time to rest, he must rest and regroup while coming up with a
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new plan.
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Cyne checks his pack again, specifically a piece of parchment found among his things in storage before he left Dirge. It
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bears a strange and elaborate crest, suggesting a notoriety of some sort, but the style is unusual and flared, and not
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the sort of art Cyne is familiar with.
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> todo: two recovery rolls, come up with a plan B to get this information
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>
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> resting (sleeping in an alley): Difficulty 2 Intellect, eased 1 by training: 17; **success**
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>
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> 2#1d6+1 heals: 3, 5. healing up to Might 6, Speed 4, Intellect 13.
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Easily enough, Cyne finds a dry alley to hunker down in for the night, and has a moderately restful night. As he sleeps,
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he dreams of purple crystal cities illuminated by aurorae, a common albeit unexplained dream. He wakes, and begins his
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search anew for a way into the library. Considering the direct approach --- or approaches --- did not yield anything,
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his next shot is to see if he can find his way through the labyrinth of tunnels underneath Berna, but not in the
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condition he is in this day.
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