"Staunton, where did you see him last? Do you know where he lives when things are more normal?"

"He's from Kyonin, but I doubt he's there now; it's a teleport away and he doesn't have that kind of magic. Before the attack he was in the Blackwing Library doing some research, but the people we sent there didn't find any sign of him."

"Hm. Could check the library again, could check the temples or wherever civilians whose houses aren't safe are gathering, could walk around asking people if they've seen him--actually that one combines well with the other two things."

"I'll send someone to check Desna's and Iomedae's temples for him; I don't expect to find him there, but it is worth a shot. I think you're right that the best case scenario is some civilians nearby the library took him in to shelter with them, but most of them are smart enough not to be answering their doors right now."

"I can go to the library, check if anyone is still there who might know." She's pretty sure she's not suggesting this purely because the idea of being in a library even briefly is a comforting one.

"Inheritor's blessing with you then, and stay safe."

Seelah hesitates, then makes to follow Brenda and Wenduag.

"If we can't find a lead on the Storyteller, we can go through the library and the books in my bag and see if there's anything that can help us," she tells them as they head librarywards. After all, it's worryingly possible he's dead, though fantasy novel logic says he's definitely alive and findable and can help, probably by asking Brenda to assemble the seven gems from the seven crowns of the great beasts or whatever.

The streets between the temple and the Blackwing Library are empty, and eerily quiet. The doors that aren't smashed in are closed and in many cases barred, and all the windows are shuttered. For someone used to more populous cities, it might be rather eerie, but it does mean they make good time en route to the library and nobody interrupts their journey. The library itself is a grand building in a separate architectural style from the surrounding buildings, but also one that has seen better days; there are no structural issues visible, but the stone detailing is worn down by wind and rain and any colors that once adorned it are gone.

It looks like news footage of war zones. Whatever demons are like as individuals, right now and collectively they're a menace.

Is the library door unlocked? It's at least not smashed.

The doors open smoothly for her, and she can see the inside. The library has a fairly large open entranceway flanked by benches and tables for reading on, with a large statue in each of the front two corners. In the back half of the building are shelves and shelves of books; a veritable treasure of Avistani knowledge that looks to be about the size of a small town public library. 

Perhaps more attention getting, however, is a large number of books piled up on the floor, surrounded by armed crusaders; on top of the books are a number of what looks to be bound and gagged individuals.

"Hello I'm looking for oh what now."

“Demon cultists! They were running around pretending to be crusaders; we’re lucky we caught them when we did!”

"And am I correct that instead of taking them to some kind of jail like civilized people you're planning to burn them to death in a pile of books?"

(It probably speaks badly of her character to be additionally mad about the books when there are human lives involved, but it's just so gratuitously awful.)

“The secure cells are all full up after the attack, if we put them in the normal jail it’d just be begging for the next enterprising demon to spring them so they could get right to it. Besides, the fire is the best way to make sure none of them are disguised demons so they can’t just fake their own deaths and slip off.”

"How is fire possibly better than beheading for that? For that matter, how do I know you aren't disguised demons? Or just cultists looking for an excuse to burn down the library?" Perhaps this is optimistic of her but she thinks most innocent people are less quick to jump to cold-blooded murder with a side of arson than this. "Hey Seelah, does your" spider sense "detect evil light up on any of these people?" Probably none of them are actually disguised demons; she can see through most illusions and all the demons she's seen so far look too alien to fit in a regular disguise.

"Demonic illusions can fake losing their heads, but they can't hide the fact that their flesh doesn't burn. And of course we're not demons, if we were we'd be letting them go!"

"None of them are showing up as evil, in either group, but that might just mean they aren't strong enough to detect. Probably not demons, but they could be cultists as long as they aren't empowered or can hide it."

"Thanks Seelah. As for you," she says, pointing accusatorily with both left hands, "your logic is ridiculous. Obviously if you're evil they're innocent. Or the different demon cults hate each other. Got any actual evidence?"

"Screw this. HAIL BAPHOMET!"

The alleged crusaders draw their weaponry, among which is in retrospect a suspiciously large number of glaives, and the leader she's been speaking to does the same thing that Ramien did at the start of the invasion and blesses all of his compatriots. The one who had been trying to light the fire abandons his flint and steel and scrabbles for his own weapon.

She moves among them like water flowing between stones, breaking glaives and tripping them with the broken shafts and dodging so they run into each other. "Have you considered surrendering? According to you, jail's just a vacation!"

They are not remotely capable of putting up a fight against this, but they do make a valiant (lit: totally doomed) effort anyway.They even mostly avoid hitting each other, though they still do so more than they hit her.

"Surrender? And face Hulrun? Hah, as if, I'm just going to kill you!"

Some of his followers seem a bit less enthusiastic about continuing to attempt to press the attack than he is, but they don't stop.

Well, if they're determined to fight to the death she is going to kill them, unless Seelah or Wenduag has a brilliant idea. Leader first in case that causes the rest to see sense.

(Also, who is this Hulrun person who manages to be scarier at a distance than Brenda is up close?

Once their leader goes down, the others get a lot less aggressive and start glancing at the exits, but they don't drop their weapons en masse. Another push might do it, but it's anyone's guess if that comes down to running away or surrendering.

Will rendering all their weapons unusable do it?