There are many small, random, quests that a player can find in Act V of Diablo III. Look for a brightly lit doorway, and go inside. Some kind of event will start.
Behind one of those brightly lit doorways is an event called “Cozy Bookstore”. It caught my attention because I love to read, have a tendency to buy more books than I can reasonably consume, and used to work in a big chain bookstore.
I love the idea of there being a Cozy Bookstore somewhere in Westmarch Heights! It sounds like a safe haven to turn to in a city that has been taken over by Malthael’s minions. The bookstore itself is very small, and I can see where it would evoke a cozy feeling. Curl up with a good book for a while and forget about your troubles.
The existence of a bookstore in Westmarch Heights suggests that the people were not only literate, but also enjoyed reading as a pastime. They have the money to purchase what might be considered a luxury item. It’s not food, after all (and food must be scarce in a world where most of the farms have been destroyed and overtaken by monsters). Not only are the people of Westmarch wealthy, literate, and readers… they also have the kind of lifestyle that gives them plenty of free time in which to sit down and read books.
The bookshelves inside the Cozy Bookstore are the same as one would find in any other event (or in the cathedral dungeons). They might drop some gold when a player clicks on them. Or, they may give out nothing at all. I was hoping they would drop a journal.
The bookstore lives up to its name. It is quite small, consisting only of a small room with a fireplace, and a short hallway.
The remains of a woman are still sitting in the rocking chair that is near the fireplace. Her name is Norma, and that is all the information a player is given about her. I like to think that Norma was a “regular” at the Cozy Bookstore, and that she spent many enjoyable moments here.
Norma looks a bit charred. All that is left of her is bones. The bookstore doesn’t look like it experienced a fire. So, what happened to Norma?
Suddenly, a group of Inferno Zombies come crawling out of the fireplace. I don’t think I’ve seen this happen outside of a “dungeon”. Their appearance explains what happened to Norma, though. The close proximity of the rocking chair to the fireplace meant poor Norma was the first target that the Inferno Zombies attacked.
Norma wasn’t the Inferno Zombie’s only victim. After the player slays the Inferno Zombies, their other victim appears. Arthur, Incinerated Bookstore Merchant, didn’t turn into charred bones after he was attacked. Instead, he became a monster. The player has to kill him in order to end the event.
Nothing special drops after the player kills Arthur. I wish he dropped a journal that told a little story about his life as a bookstore owner. Since he doesn’t, I will write one myself. (NOTE: This journal does not actually exist in-game. I am making it up.)
Arthur’s Journal: Today, a customer came into the store and asked for a book. It had a red cover, she said, and was sitting one one of these shelves about a year ago. I asked if she could tell me the title of the book, or the author, or even a little bit of what it was about. You’d think that my questions were an insult, based upon the way she responded!
Norma, my favorite regular customer, observed the whole thing. Not even she could figure out what book it was that he woman was asking about. If Norma doesn’t know about a book – I suspect that it doesn’t exist. Nothing ruins my day more than angry customers with impossible questions. Perhaps tomorrow will be better. – Arthur, Bookseller.
(Again – this journal does not exist in-game. I wrote it myself for fun.)