Holy *&$%#@! That book bit me!

 After returning to Candlekeep from Fistandia's Floating Castle, the team are tasked by Miss Hollypocket to investigate the library where strange and dangerous events have been occurring.  There Luocious finds  a tome titled Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions and learns a couple of things: mostly though he learns about who's who in The Abyss and what monsters each of these demon lords may have spawned. New names from the hell realms included: Baphomet, Demogorgon, Graz'zt, Orcus, Juiblex, along with a few others. However as Luocious was just getting into full research-mode, the book transforms into an ectoplasmic ball of purple power and attacks. 

Eventually after Mazfroth's Mighty Digression Died and Disappeared, Miss Hollypocket showed up out of nowhere and tasks the team with finding the original -- it appears the book was donated to the library only a few weeks earlier and they should go investigate.  The team is slightly unnerved by how Miss Hollypocket can just...appear.

The teams asks around and learn that there have been three book attacks where easy reading has transformed into ectoplasmic monsters, and that all three books have been used to gain entry to Candlekeep. Since the Avowed love record keeping the team learns that two individuals still remain on campus who donated such books: Valor, a irritable Tiefling knight who brought in a book titled The Dark Hunger (which now seems a bit on the nose) who trades the team information for Reginald taking over her work fixing the a portion of a tavern roof. Luckily Reggie worships Gond and is absolutely thrilled to work by himself on a roof while Valor and everyone else drink in the tavern below.  She recounts that she bought it from a bookseller in Baldur's Keep marketplace, The Wide. 

They also find and meet Yalerion Highscroll, a 26 year old human acolyte who is quite surprised that the book he donated attacked the characters and tells them he got it from The Wide as well, and that while he can't quite remember the directions, the booksellers were all wearing red aprons. 

The team head out the next day and, as they travel, get to know each other. Tybalt's beards slips again and he shares that he is running from a gambling debt and verrrrrrrry nervous about heading into Baldur's Keep.  As travelers often are, our heroes are attacked on the road by giant rats and a wererat named Mushika. Tybalt especially doesn't like "filthy rats" and toasts one with what looks like magic missiles. One rat seeing the other perish takes off through the bushes and escapes, and their rat-boss Mushika serves up some damage before being beat by Lia who takes pity on him as he begs on his knees for mercy and swears he'll never come after them again and will stop robbing people for their coin; Lyta lets him go and as he runs away into the shadows he snickers and shouts that they have made a nemesis for life. 

The gang feels pretty good about themselves (except for Tybalt who is irritated at having let any of the rats live) and camp out the rest of the night in front of a fire before entering Baldur's Keep the next day.