The Fifth Eclipse - Session 6: Onward and counter-birdwards

Party: Wenceslas, Claudia De La Quinne, The Captain, Vholanthus Sumquaes, Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux

Retreating to her abode with her friends, Daisy walks around in a daze, remembering the fateful day that her father left the mortal world behind. Snippets of conversation with Paul Jones Jr, her father's pride in her woodsmanship and the strange cry of the most likely culprit take the fore as she reaches her bed and uneasy dreams follow.

The next morning, Wenceslas is attacked by an angry ostrich as he sits outside Daisy's mansion, dispatching it with some expenditure of magics. The rest of the group, startled, comes to investigate and spot a dig-out containing a scuffed arcane circle. The remains of the aggressive bipedal bird seem to rot away at an alarming rate, implying either the De La Quinne having planted this as a trap or a necromancer's involvement.
Wenceslas and Vholanthus spend some time exchanging knowledge on the Elfhames in Vertange, pushing ever closer to their likely locations and inhabitants. More so, Wenceslas reveals that the Elfhames do trade with both the Sunlands and the Dark, establishing them as 'neutral' rather than dedicated to either side. Whatever reason the denizens of the Dark would have to strike at these neutral havens remains to be determined.  

Claudia and Wenceslas, being banned from the Library decide to head to the market as the other three (the Captain, Vholanthus and Daisy) dive deep into the basement stacks in order to discover even more on the Elfhames and the potential dangers that they may encounter upon re-entering the Delve of Dun Scaith.

Claudia speaks with Madame Tousaud, a soothsayer and fortuneteller that offers her a "Peable of Fortune", but she is disinclined to part with her money for that trinket. Wenceslas, meanwhile, discovers that his magical disk is an instrument that guides him to the nearest Elfhame.

The entrance to the library is kept by Selandrine Tesodi, and the name of the Elfhame below the street is offered as payment for entry. Into the stacks, Vholanthus pulls out a protected book from the frame just in front of where the spiral staircase breaks through the lower levels of the library. 
The book itself speaks of the Silver-armed Runelord known as "Nechtan" and his two closest allies: the "False Flame" and the "Last Defender". It is hard to determine when or how the book was written, but as Vholanthus places it back into the protective scripts, a strong tug on his life force leaves him wheezing for air.

Having dealt with these matters, the group reunites, gathers supplies and sets out to discover what the Delve has to offer. They make peace with the fact that they will likely need to spend the night inside after discussing potential strategies, and make for the lower levels of the Delve, dodging some traps and ignoring whatever glowing eyes stare at the from side-tunnels.

A short while after passing the part where they previously fought the Mortal Hunter, the bioluminescent fungi that were scattered through the higher levels finally run out and torches are brought out for illumination. Then, the group hears the tell-tale sound of bones clacking and face off against a skeletal patrol.