When conversing with Oberigo, Sabinus's charm and the man's obvious indulges in the free-flowing drinks loosens his tongue. "The Asmodean Knot, unlike the rest of the manor and the Nessian Spiral, is said to be contained wholly in a... *hic* pocket dimension accessed from a special mirror hidden somewhere in the house. Isn't that amazing!?" he titters.
"Also, he says, "the guardians of the Asmodean Knot—and you can be sure there are guardians—are likely to be a mix of devils and shadowy undead, if rumors hold true. Now, whether or not this bespeaks a link between the Asmodean Knot and the shadow beasts that prowl Westcrown at night, as some suggest... I truly *hic* cannot say."
While exploring, Sabinus discovers all the doors leading to the eastern side of the building are locked tight, the doors quite sturdy. Apparently the staff and guards are quite used to intrusive and bumbling drunks as guests of the Mayor, and take attempts by you to explore in stride.
A3
Thickly carpeted and well lit, the walls of this manor hang with numerous paintings of past Westcrown mayors and nobility. Fully two-thirds of the spots are curiously empty. Both sets of stairs lead up to area A31.
A4. Tool Storage:
Several shelves on the wall are lined with gardening tools. The door leading outside is kept locked at night; you see a key hanging on the wall nearby. Servants spot you quickly and usher you back out of the room and to the main areas.
A11. Staff Room:
The serving staff meets here to discuss major events and work. Servants spot you quickly and usher you back out of the room and to the main areas.
A12. Office:
This room is used by the majordomo Crosael to meet with solicitors, visitors, and other business-related associates. Servants spot you quickly and usher you back out of the room and to the main areas.
A13. Visitors’ Lounge: The walls of this room feature somewhat disturbing paintings of various hellscapes— visitors to the manor wait here upon the mayor’s pleasure. The stairs lead upward. Servants spot you quickly and usher you back out of the room and to the main areas.
A18. Wine Storage:
This room is cooled by the water to the north—the wine stored here is quite fine, but you spot a locked case against the south wall. Servants spot you quickly and usher you back out of the room and to the main areas.
A19. Garden of Earthly Pleasures:
The banks are thick with wildflowers and you gaze at the open 'night sky' above. There are guards posted at the doors leading north and south from this room, but servants exit the southern doors quite frequently, and kitchen staff and servers exit the northern doors with regularity.
A22 - The Pool of Honey:
The walls of this room have thick, thorny hedges of roses and other rare flowers and a long, thin pool of what looks to be honey sits in the room’s center. The pool of honey is quite real—the honey within is kept perpetually fresh and is only a few inches deep.
A23. The Jungle of Nectar:
This room contains a sparkling fountain of crystal clear water, an illusory nighttime sky similar to the one in area A19, and three large tropical trees filled with fruits. The fruits range from pineapples to mangos to papayas to more obscure fruit, all scattered and hanging from the same branches of the three magical trees. These trees, which grow out of circular holes in the stone floor, bear fruits which are delicious and safe to eat.
**Aberian's Folley - 1st Floor**
**Aberian's Folley - 2nd Floor**
In room A19:
In room A22:
Sabinus feels satisfaction at getting some concrete and highly useful information from Oberigo, and he looks forward to sharing the information with his partners.
He also feels satisfaction at getting the general layout of the first floor and identifying areas for further exploration. He marvels at the garden, pool, and jungle, and lingers there. He is a little unsettled upon returning from the Pool of Honey, and reports noting blood dripping from thorns, and maggots writhing amid the rose petals, although it may just have been something he ate. He partakes of some refreshing fruit in the Jungle of Nectar, and mentions the discovery to Enko, since Enko seemed uncomfortable with the food offered.
Ava will spend much of her time in the feast hall, flitting about between guests. She keeps information flowing between party members, making sure that everyone keeps in the know.
Most of all, however, she feasts. The dwarf in her isn't quite letting to let a meal like this go past without enjoying it, and only barely does she manage to avoid the lure of the liquors, managing to stay (mostly) sober with only a few cheeky sips.
In addition, she also tries to identify some of the people running things in the Folly itself, just in case she needs to take their form later on.
Helping with the exchange of information, Ava is able to deduce that the General and Chammady Drovenge were the only ones not inclined to share any gossipy secrets. Also, the heavy Delour Alaumaxa who's been eyeing Enko all night hasn't been conversed with by anyone in the group yet, so her informational value is unknown.
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The Viscount samples food in an almost dainty fashion, wiping the corners of his mouth delicately. The Ornelos blood can turn the healthiest food into a lifetime of strained buttons he intones, patting his belly, as he excuses himself from most of the food, and all but a single snifter of good brandy.
I have no stomach for such frivolity. I expected more from our host. the Viscount confides in the gruff General.
He makes another pass at impressing his host.
A fine party, good chap. I rarely get a chance to indulge myself, what with running the family here in Westcrown. How do you find the time to prepare such splendor with the trials and tribulations of running the city? aimed at the mayor.
"A pit fiend? Under the city? Great big devil that could wipe out the whole manor and most of the city with a blink of it's eyes...?" Lucon pales.
"I don't know much about devils, m'lord. But that sounds like a funny idea of a status symbol if y'ask me." Decidedly not wanting to pursue this line of questioning, nor poke around a dungeon full of devils at that, Lucon steers the conversation back toward boats before mumbling a farewell and staring sullenly at his food, not speaking unless approached by someone.
The last few conversation don't reveal anything new, the Mayor repeating to Corneleous the woes about the "phantoms and gremlins," by which he means an increase in minor glitches and troubles with the lights, the fireplaces, the hot water, and other magical enhancements in effect on his house. He suspects that some sort of magical pest or mischievous spirit has gotten into the works.
After the evening has descended into complete carnal chaos and drunkenness, you all have a chance to finally speak together on the walkway above the Honey Pool room. From your vantage point, there is little to no organization to things, just a slovenly group of elitists letting the party run it's course and guards and servants do their best to keep them supplied with whatever they desire, and from hurting themselves or others in their brainless state.
The Fat of the Land: Savoring some of the venison and privately enjoying the under-the-table flirtations, Caladius spends the remainder of the course speaking lightly with Chammady. He notes with a passing glance the General's departure, but quickly turns his attention back to Chammady.
The Dance of the Engorged Vulture: Caladius finds the alligator to be surprisingly tasty, though he begins to tire of so much food despite the appetite he developed after vanishing earlier in the evening. After only trying a few bites, he ignores the rest of the spread and instead sips reservedly on some watered wine. As Chammady departs, he holds her gaze as she winks. As the conversations progress, he finds himself chatting briefly with Eirtein, but the man's smile strikes him as deceitful. After just a few words, Caladius growls a simple, "Shut up. You talk too much," before walking away.
The Ambrosial Serpents: Caladius is unable to keep his face from turning into a grimmace of disgust as the platter's lid is lifted and a coil of lethargic serpents languidly hiss atop the tray. He plucks a roll from a basket on the table and avoids the snakes with unveiled disgust. Incredulously, he asks the mayor a short time after the trays are removed, "You actually like this stuff? That's... disgusting."
The Insatiable Hungers: Once again, Caladius finds the offerings of the course to be quite off-puttting. Knowing that dulled senses are the door to a quick death, he declines any offers to smoke or drink further. The night has worn on much longer than he'd anticipated too, and his impatience begins to show as he moves about the room restlessly.
Above the Honey Pool, at last reunited with the rest of the group, Caladius glowers at the mass of bodies below. "Ugh. So, can we leave now? I don't like this place." He crosses his broad arms and leans against one of the walls, one knee bent with the flat of one foot pressed against the supporting surface - a recognizable posture.
Sabinus greets everyone: "Well, that was fun." Surprising even himself, he's mostly serious. He fills everyone in on his investigations: "The rooms around the entrance appear to be devoted to service and administrative duties, although there are more rooms deeper on either side. The area to the East of the dining hall appears to be the dungeon; I don't think what we are looking for lies in that direction. According to Oberigo, the Asmodean Knot can be accessed from a minor hidden somewhere in the Manor. Unless there are other ideas, I suggest we begin by exploring the rooms on this floor."
Ava folds her arm, considering the information they'd gathered so far. "I doubt the Mayor would be bold enough to hide it in plain sight. Somewhere private, I think, where people wouldn't just stumble upon it. A bedroom... a storage closet, maybe... What was it that Sascar said about the attic, Sabinus?"
"I heard he keeps a pit fiend down there in those dungeons." Lucon says, red-faced and far too loudly after several cups of strong wine. "I'd... I'd rather not find out if it's all the same to you folks. Let's look around up here first."
"After that meal, I feel about ready for anything," says Enko somewhat wryly.
"But yes, this floor and then onward. Thank you for the fruit, Sabinus." He eyes a proffered piece carefully, inspecting it for maggots, honey, blood, drugs, drowsy snakes, handkerchiefs from Delour, and so forth.
Caladius points over the span to the large room across the way. "I think there are stairs over that way, if we want to go up."
You move as a group, trying not to be obvious, although the need for excess stealth is minimal as the guards and servants are extremely distracted. Several guards and servants, seeing the near-incoherent state of the lords and ladies in attendance, have started to sample some of the goods themselves. A teenaged, wide-eyed server gets pulled under a table by a lesser noblewoman, a full third of the tables contents spilling loudly to the ground as the table starts shaking vigorously. In the Jungle garden to the south, several guests of varying ages have climbed into the magical fruit trees and have started a fruit-filled food fight. The Mayor has lured two young and willing serving girls under the bridge in to the west of the dining hall a few moments ago, where a riot of laughing and giggling can now be heard. Many of the guests lie sleeping, comatose or batting at butterflies visible only to them.
Caladius, using the key lifted and forgotten by Chammady, opens the door and ushers everyone quickly into the darkened and empty storage room while the guards were busy talking a matronly woman from her desire to tight-rope walk along the second story railing. Inside the room, as before, are a set of stairs leading upward to a third story, and there's also a door on the western wall.
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Unable to distract himself from the debauchery any longer, Lucon stares in transfixed horror. He pulls his fellow Torchbearers aside, his bright-red cheeks turning deathly pale and a grave, sober expression taking over his face... "My wife must never hear of this." he says with the utmost severity, closing the door behind him and crossing his arms.
He shifts uncomfortably on his feet.
"Come on. The sooner we're out of here the better. Let us try the attic first." Lucon says, making his way up the stairs and taking a conversational tone. "Though god only knows how many floors this place has. I used to be a joiner, back before the money left Westcrown. Worked on villas, manors and the like, but none of them half as big as this place. How many rooms do you expect this place has...?"
A45. Main Attic:
Dusty, dark and vast, this attic is cluttered with crates, old furniture, and miscellaneous items that have been moved up here could possibly be from the manor’s previous occupant. The clutter is tremendous. The northern door is locked with a particularly impressive padlock. Several of the 'lanterns' are on the walls, currently unlit.
Sabinus will cast a light cantrip on his ring.
"I won't say anything to Rebecca, Lucon, but, truth be told, I think it would be interesting to stay and watch the festivities unfold. A party this debauched creates an almost liminal state. Normal rules of behavior fly out the window; you never know what might happen."
"The attic? Lucon, Sabinus related something about the Mayor's son being up there. He is sensitive to sunlight and had some other proclivities."
He turns to Sabinus. "You ate one of those drugged serpents, didn't you? You ate one of them. And I'm fairly as to what will happen; the nobles here will all turn into torbles soon enough." He shakes his head, smiling.
Enko has his trusty bullseye lantern.
"A good point, Enko. I'd forgotten about the son. Does that make it more or less likely that the mirror is up here? All things being equal, I'd rather check out the other rooms first before encountering the son. Can Ava scout ahead in the dark?"
"If there is a mirror here, it would be most unwelcome by the occupant," says Enko. "I suspect the Mayor's son is an undead vampire."
"Really? A vampire? I was thinking there was no son. You know, it was a cover or some stupid rumor. If there is a vampire though, no self-respecting heroes of Westcrown would let it 'live'."
"Would inventing a rumor about a vampire son make people more likely or less likely to check out the attic? Your guess is as good as mine, but we might as well check the attic out while we're here. Still, though, a little sneaky recon would be nice. We need to watch out for traps too. And it seems like a mansion like this might really have some secret doors..."
"I'll scout ahead, then." she says. "Caladius, care to join me?"
Ava will take a look around.
While scouting Ava notices the heavy padlock on the northern door is of exceptional make, and possibly at the very limits of her skills. A listen at the doors and examination of the walls seems to indicate a distinct lack of other beings up here, at least within her hearing. Other than the northern door, none of the several other doors in the room appear trapped or even locked for that matter.
On the southern end of the dark room, you see a second stairway leading back down to the second story of the manor.
Ava will give them the all-clear and a brief rundown of what's up here.
"You don't waste a lock this good on just anything." She says knowingly. "Keep an eye out... Can't rush one as complex as this."
Unfurling her masterwork thieves tools, she runs her her fingers across the lock, admiring its make.
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"Sure." Caladius, towering and gruff a moment earlier, suddenly melts into the darkness and slinks forward beside Ava.
Despite her best efforts, and she certainly took the time to ensure they were her best, the picking of the padlock eludes her. The sound of occasion screams of gaiety or possibly panic, for all you know, can be heard all the way downstairs.
"...could we not find the items we need, then slay the putative vampire? I fear that vampire slaying might cause a ruckus, not to mention put us out of the Mayor's good graces."
"I don't care who gets upset, if we find a vampire we're killing it. Any undead for that matter. They aren't pets or relatives, they're undead."
"Tch. No good." Ava says, rolling up her tools. "We'll just have to hope what we're looking for isn't in here, or find the key along the way. Let's keep searching."
As they signal the coast is clear, Lucon lumbers around the creaking attic, rattling the handles of the doors and trying not to sneeze amidst all the dust.
While Ava is working on the lock, Sabinus will investigate the clutter in the attic to see if he finds anything interesting, mirrored or otherwise. He will use detect magic to aid his search.
As Ava works the lock, Caladius searches about the area while carrying on his discussion with Enko.
Enko aids a Caladius.
"Does anyone have a mirror?" he asks casually. "I should have taken some garlic from the various roast meats...Sabinus, if we see the Mayor's son, you could breathe on him--I am fairly certain you ate garlic, wolfsbane, mandrake root, belladonna..." he says with a smile.
**Aberian's Folley - 3rd floor**
A46. Paperwork Storage:
Several filing cabinets, chests, and boxes contain old paperwork from Westcrown mayors dating back to the manor’s original construction hundreds of years ago.
A47. Unused Lounge:
Once used as an attic lounge by a previous mayor, this room is now empty, the fine furniture that once decorated it long since sold off.
A48. Attic Dungeon:
This is an empty room with several sets of empty manacles hanging from the walls. Someone has made much use of the chamber, but not in many years.
A49. Private Performance Hall:
This room has been half converted into a private theater—several months of work remain before it can serve as a functional performance hall.
A50. Dressing Room:
When the performance hall is finished, this room will serve as a dressing room/staging area for actors—the room is currently empty.
Sabinus catches the faintest remnant of a lingering magic aura on the north side of the building, past the padlocked door.
"Are we sure there is nothing we can do to get past that lock? There's a faint lingering magical aura past the door. I suppose we could also explore elsewhere and come back, but it's pretty tempting while we're here. I guess physically breaking the door wouldn't be a good idea."
"Where there is a lock, there's a key. My guess is someplace personal to the Mayor, we shall find it." And behind it, probably, his son, and some chute from which drop living bodies, Enko muses.
"A sound point, Enko. Perhaps we will find the key in the Mayor's office or bedroom. As we have explored the rest of the attic, I suggest we go finish exploring the second floor and then go from there."
Caladius turns to Sabinus from a pile of junk he's casually rooting through, "As drunk and senseless as those fools below are, there are still some guards and servants that seemed to have their wits about them. We should be quiet. I'd prefer we go find the key. Should be easy enough, considering the state of things."
"I suggest we start by opening the unexplored door in the room on the second floor from which we accessed the stairs to the attic."
You recall there are always two guards on the second floor. They walk the full perimeter of the room, including the second story walkways overlooking the main floor dining area and gardens. While walking about, you observed them maintaining and even distance from each other as they slowly patrol, one on opposite sides of the room at all times. There are a few servants here, but these are all servers carrying around trays of delicacies and glasses of wine. Each server will walk up the south stairs from the main floor, do a quick circuit of the room, including the walkways, and then walk down the north stairs back to the main level to continue their rounds or refresh their trays.