After securing an agreement with Grigor to eliminate his quarantined lover at Brassalo Hospital in exchange for his staged death, the party left the Argent Spire with multiple objectives still unresolved. Choosing to move down the list before addressing the hospital, they traveled into the Warrens to confront Irina Talovska at the Shardveil Reading Room. What began as a controlled exchange over dragon-related volumes quickly escalated into a full arcane lockdown, culminating in the destruction of the Reading Room’s defenses and the banishment of Talovska herself.

While Thorrin and Carl remained upstairs negotiating with the clerk, Viktor and Bogdon concluded their private discussion with Grigor. Grigor revealed that the woman he loves is being held in quarantine on the 12th floor of Brassalo Hospital. According to him, Viroc doctors discovered that her blood contains transferable magical properties and have been exploiting it. She was taken four weeks ago. Grigor does not want her rescued. He believes she would not wish to return in her current state and instead asked that she be killed and told that he sent the party and never abandoned her. The agreement reached was direct: the party will eliminate her, and Grigor will convincingly fake his own death and disappear. He declined to provide inside access to the hospital but assured them he would handle the “being dead” portion of the arrangement. Reunited upstairs, Viktor and Bogdon informed the others of the deal. With Telepathic Bond cast as a ritual, the party left the Argent Spire and chose to proceed first to the Shardveil Reading Room.

The mood of the city had shifted again. Corporate Heights lacked its usual arrogance. Movement was thinner, conversation quieter. Crossing into the Warrens, the emotional weight intensified. Despair felt heavier, more concentrated. The party arrived at the Shardveil Reading Room.

A bell announced their entry. A male clerk sat at the front desk. Posted rates included five gold per hour for access. The shop retained its reputation as one of the region’s major collectors of magical texts, spellbooks, and arcane manuscripts. Lusat informed the clerk he had rare material for Irina Talovska. The clerk referenced an overdue book Lusat had not returned. Lusat assured him it would be handled and implied the value of what he now carried exceeded the previous debt. Talovska agreed to see Lusat alone. Carl attempted to bless Lusat before he entered and was immediately counterspelled by the clerk. Lusat entered Talovska’s office.

Inside, Talovska greeted Lusat while magically stirring tea. Lusat presented dragon-related texts and stated plainly that he had been present at the dragon’s birth. He emphasized that only a handful of individuals possessed that knowledge, increasing its value significantly. Talovska’s demeanor shifted. The office locked. Across the Reading Room, suits of armor animated simultaneously. Combat begins.

Viktor immediately engaged the nearest animated armor after casting Shield of Faith. Bogdon pressed the clerk with Hex and Eldritch Blast. The clerk responded with Shield and later Hold Person, briefly paralyzing Bogdon before he broke free. Multiple animated suits engaged the party across the shop floor. Bystanders fled, including one who escaped via Dimension Door. Inside the office, Lusat banished Talovska after countering her attempt to counterspell. She was removed to another plane of existence, if only temporarily. As each suit of armor fell, it left behind a pulsing green orb. At the end of each round, these orbs detonated in shockwaves of force and magical backlash. Scrolls ignited. Books burst with uncontrolled arcane discharge. The Reading Room’s carefully warded collection became a cascade of unstable magical effects. The clerk attempted to reposition and was killed by Carl’s reaction strike. Thorrin destroyed one of the armors and hurled one of the unstable orbs across the room before it detonated. Viktor and Carl absorbed repeated blast damage as the chain reactions continued. Lusat exited the locked office via Dimension Door, consumed a Sharddust Vial, and rejoined the fight. One detonation triggered a brief presence that answered Viktor’s unspoken question with certainty: Was releasing Kaz and Lenadra the right choice? The presence responded in the affirmative. One by one, the animated suits were destroyed. The final orb detonated. The Reading Room fell silent.

The clerk lay dead. All animated armors were destroyed. The Reading Room sustained significant structural and arcane damage. Irina Talovska remained banished, with less than half a minute before her return. The party regrouped outside the sealed office door, preparing for her reappearance. The session ended with the banishment about to expire.