Liber Mus: Skill Books

Short stories, tomes, and small entries of books for your mice to find, read, and explore within your worlds.

This edition of Liber Mus covers books that give temporary skills found in “A Little Knowledge…” by Rosenkavalier. Skills in A little knowledge are permanent certifications but those acquired from these books are temporary, the skill only lasting for one session. The mouse will need to re-read the skill book between sessions or over a full rest (3 days) to renew its temporary benefits.

Illustrated by Lux. Stories and ideas are credited to their creators.

This is a working project, so content will be added as regularly as it becomes available.

(WIP) Posted 3-24-2025

Written by Lux

Edited by Gilbals & Paige

Note from Lux

I used to spend hours collecting and reading books in games like Morrowind or Baulder's Gate years back and though it's not for every player, I fill my worlds with as many lore books as I can cram into them. These books I wrote by folding a sheet of printer paper in four and only writing as much as will fit in one quarter. I think that's more than enough for a mouse-sized book. Most of these books were written with lore from my setting The Secret Kingdom, but you are welcome to edit them to fit your setting or use them as is. Many books may have nonsense words or sentence structure, this is intentional to attempt to simulate various species and social class dialects and writing styles depending on the context.

Special thanks to Gilbals for helping me format and adding wonderfully immersive summary lines to each book along with a variety of NPC authors.

Discerning Dialects

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Interpreter from “A Little Knowledge…”

A treatise on languages and dialects of the surrounding regions containing a basic primer on language learning

Written by Nesse the Diplomat

From a mouse’s point of view, it would seem that most other species speak in almost an unrecognizable gibberish. In fact, most rodents and many other animals speak variants of one common tongue. Even among mice, some may notice dialects, which vary strongly from region to region. With exposure to many dialects, as in the service to a court or merchant guild, one will learn to interpret language from such gibberish and even learn to speak and mimic dialect to be understood.

Some species, such as the mole and the squirrel, can have very different dialect subgroups.

For example, the mole will often use the word “Yae” which means I, me or you. “Tis” means this or it.

Some squirrels will have vocabulary very similar to mouse but speak with a much faster pace and heavy accent, which may be laced with metaphors and casual insults. It is important to understand that squirrels mean no ill will when insulting others as they believe themselves superior to “Ground dwellers.”

You may find some mice speak with the ending of “eth” such as “speaketh”, with this said to be a dialect common to mice when listened to by another species.

Trouble’s Training Journal

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Bruiser from “A Little Knowledge…”

The (probably heavily embellished) autobiography of Footpad Trouble, daring rogue and delightful company

It is the third day of my exile, and I have been hunted by Thornwood’s men the entire time. I have managed to secure passage within the Cult of Hooth of which I have connections, but it is only a temporary arrangement while I am forced to hide deep underground.

I write this by the glow of cave mushrooms, and all I can do is train and plan my vengeance. There is plenty to eat, although mushrooms and deep root are bland. They have plenty of properties I will need to maintain my strength. It is bitter cold, so every day I begin with warm-ups and stretches to keep active. A bunch of leather cap mushrooms serve as my punching bags, and I regularly practice with repetitive punches and kick training, so much that I work away the hours within the rhythm of strikes.

I cannot wait to land strikes like these upon the faces of Thornwood’s men, and I often imagine doing so while practicing. There is plenty of room to sprint down the mushroom-lit tunnels and jog while punching air to keep my rhythm and edge.

My enemies are looking for Trouble, they are about to find her.

Limber’s Tree Maps

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Acrobat from “A Little Knowledge…”

A book on etiquette, customs, and higher living by Queen Limber of the Squirrels

Allow me to step forward and clear my throat and announce that I am Limber, Queen of the High Burrow, realm of squirrels.

As a divine being of the canopy, it is my duty to instruct my people on the skills and lessons I have learned so that the lesser folk that dwelleth below our heavenly trees shall prosper.

Of the most important skills for a squirrel to learn is the proper method of stretching, grooming, chattering, chasing, jumping and throwing, all of which a divine being of the canopy needs to employ on a daily basis.

Next is mental memory, awareness of the many branches, trunks and knotholes across the realm. A squirrel must never confine themselves to simply one tree for all of the forest has been bestowed upon our glorious kind to travel without needing to touch the dirty, filthy ground.

And next and most important is generosity for as we of the High Burrows must store nuts for the winter frost, so too must the lowly dirt-worshiping people that live below us.

One must always remember to rain nuts liberally upon our wonderful dirt angel neighbors so that they do not go hungry.

Commanding the 1st Swarm

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Leader from “A Little Knowledge…”

A military war journal published and written by Raz Battar of the First Swarm. Within is a show of the brutality and odd thinking of the rat throngs of the Totality, but no one will dispute the sagely and effective leadership and decision-making skills written within.

The mouse hold of Dead Tree had not surrendered as easily as the other kingdoms the Totality had been sent to destroy. While every rat of the first swarm had been raised with the teachings of imperial doctrine and knew their duty well, the same methodical autonomy of the regular troops could not be said of the auxiliary forces, in which we were sent for the fourth assault wave.

The general was convinced that one more offensive upon the mouse city would surely break the defense, but as commander of the first swarm, I was not so convinced the hold was going to fall that day.

The region was known for its freeholds, mice who had tasted unregulated freedom, and they would only surrender it with their lives. But the general truly believed that the emperor’s civilizing mission to erase all dynasties beyond the Totality would be achievable by relentless assaults. It was our directive to break the city of Dead Tree that lay before us with the lives of the auxiliary division, an array of mouse thralls from a dozen capitulated kingdoms. Merely meat shields sent ahead of the main vanguard. I could see the fear in their eyes as the artillery divisions began the final bombardment of the city.

The ground shook like the deck of a ship in a storm, and the deafening sound was as loud as thunder. I raised my ax, the signal to prepare. At once, a roaring clatter of thousands of armored soldiers stood from their rest, their weapons a forest of spears. “First swarm, move out!” I called as the fiery bombardment ceased.

At once, the swarm approached the defiant hill from all four sides to finish this deadly business.

Shield Maiden

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Protector from “A Little Knowledge…”

A military war journal popularized and lauded as a symbol of hope for mice in the war with their bitter rivals. The tales told in this book are very recent, yet the legend already holds.

Written by Spearmouse Loam Chewer

The rats had bombarded our hill through the night, so we knew the main assault would come at first light. The soldiers were exhausted, and we were far outnumbered against the coming enemy waves, but the only way across the ravine was one last solid log that had been one of the city’s four bridges. The mice had worked hard to cut the log through the night so that the weight of the rats would surely cause it to collapse.

As the grim ranks of the Totality army appeared on the opposite bank, the defenders waited in their trenches and tunnels, but the bridge did not collapse. It was then that a bodyguard of the queen, a chipmunk maiden known only to us as Buckle, emerged from the ranks with her metal shield and stood upon the bridge to meet the approaching swarm. I thought it surely suicide, but the swarm of rats could not flank her, and her skill with the shield was such that she blocked the rat’s deadly axes and spears and pushed many into the ravine below. Our soldiers were eager to help her, but the queen held us back as it was for the rats; our numbers would be useless on the bridge.

Rat after rat was pushed into the ravine, crashing into the brook waters and rocks below, yet still they came. Three waves in total came across, and each time, the Swarm’s champions lost their balance and were shoved over the side. It was in the final charge that the bridge began to crack under the weight and finally broke. Only then did Buckle fall back swiftly to the line, leaving the bridge and the rats to fall to their doom. A great cheer roared on our side as the Swarm commander glared at us from across the gap. The city would not fall this day.

In Dappled Groves

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Herbalist from “A Little Knowledge…”

An almost incomprehensible herbology book written by Bramble the Shrew. Though it’s difficult to parse, there is some valuable information to be gleaned within.

First ay shal say that I be Bramble the shrew of the wood tribe, keeper of the Black grove and ta Razor hedge. Mice kind of all seek our wisdom of the leaf and fungus, but most spend precious little time to understand the powers and dangerous fo each. I will now share some of my knowledge in this scroll ty spare yet more foolish mice from learning ty hard way.

Chamomile be an important base ingredient fer matters of healing, sleep and strength.

Likewise so too is the poppy of red, blue and yellow. But each has its own powers and should respected as individual ingredients.

Blue poppy tis a companion and most like chamomile, while yellow can change ty vision and perception.

Red poppy should not be handled lightly as it is most dramatic when mixed with other ingredients.

Clover is ty most common and supplement the above ingredients well either as a substitute or as a strengthening agent, especially in ty healing case.

Tree bark tis a fine base when working with red poppy as tis effects are most complementing and reactive, but use caution, for it can be very combustible as a result.

Of the many types of mushroom, I shall only speak of two, for many kind are poisonous and deadly to untrained hands.

White mushroom tis most used to strengthen, as with chamomile, but beware of its fear-inducing effects.

So too is fly amanita, the glorious red cap not to be used lightly as its effects are like that of volatile bark and red poppy.

The King’s Couriers

Price: 1000
Reading time: Full Rest
Effect: Gain the temporary skill of Runner from “A Little Knowledge…”

Of the fastest couriers in the Moonshore underbrush was Pepper, a lean jerboa from the Thornwood Reach. Upon her arrival to Deeproot castle, she found the journey to be most perilous and inefficient, mostly because of the state of the courier road. Under her advice, Queen Tinsel of Deeproot took notice and dedicated resources and men to the task of clearing and guarding Thornwood Road. Guard posts were placed along the road to the couriers’ specifications. This way, couriers could speed along word between the capitals at the fastest pace.

The courier Pepper was also educated on the proper training for endurance running and trained several mice from the hold both physically and with wisdom she had learned after years on the Hedge roads. While some of the soldiers thought her pretty and desirable during the love games, it was clear that Pepper was very career-oriented and had no time for suitors. She took her mission very seriously, and upon her face from brow to chin was a long scar of which must have been a horrific wound. It had healed well, but she regarded the mark to be a consequence of some past careless action on her part in which she spoke little of.

Regardless, the stoic courier Pepper of few words remains, till this day the fastest runner on the Moonshore roads.

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