They aaare collecting mineraaals from the debris field. But we haaave aaa book from the plaaanet. It is not a historicaaal text but more of a waaarning.
Pelk allows you to inspect the book. It is surprisingly light, and brief examination shows it to be a cunningly contrived container. Its covering is made of supple leather reinforced with thicker strips of hide. Opening the cover reveals three intricately carved, hollow wooden cylinders and a linen bag of dry clay artfully decorated with a drop of water.
The outside of each cylinder is covered with writing and simple images, apparently telling a story in three parts.
The first step is to remove some of the clay from its bag and mix it with water to form a thick paste, then spread the wet clay in a thin layer on a flat surface. Rolling one of the cylinders across this surface presses the writing into the clay and makes it readable. After repeating the process for each of the cylinders, you have the full story and can use that knowledge to determine what they do next.
The impressions in the clay are mostly characters in the Dwarvish script, combined with simple pictographs that tell a tale about the frogfolk and the serpentfolk.
The first cylinder shows and explains how the grippli became skilled at harvesting giant crabs, which are loaded onto seagoing vessels and taken away while the frogfolk celebrate their newly earned wealth.
The second cylinder’s story begins with serpent creatures lurking ominously outside the grippli village. Then the serpentfolk rush forth, capturing or killing any of the frogfolk who try to stand against them. As the village falls into disarray, the giant crabs escape from their cages and head back into the sea.
The third cylinder depicts, and briefly tells about, the aftermath of the serpentfolk’s assault. The village is vacant, most of its buildings flattened. Still standing is the grippli’s temple to their deity, which has been taken over by the snake creatures.
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OOC:
and yes, I am reskinning a Candlekeep mystery adventure