Having cast Detect Magic while downstairs and out of sight, he heads up the stairs to look at the mask.
Sato shakes his head after looking at the door and mask. "Not sure." he whispers, returning. "I'm more of a... instinctual magic person, not well-read."
"Mmm, I don't think I can check that door for traps with two guards looking without them suspecting something. Maybe we could order them to go downstairs... They probably have to comply with the orders coming from the black robed guys."
Anything I can do while staying downstairs?
"I could try to trick them into taking a break." Sato offers.
"you're probably right Jaed... Hmm I think I have a plan. Artair can you hide down here for a second while we go get rid of the guards and make sure Millsy doesn't follow us. If it sounds like there's trouble you can come and do what you do best. Lilly, Jaed come with me I am going to tell the guards that you are being trained as guards and that they can take the rest of their shift off." Finnrick finishes detailing his plan and looks at the others "Do you think it could work?"
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Finnrick casts enhance diplomacy on himself and takes Artair and Lilly with him to the guard room.
"Praise be to Razmir, " he says to the guards. Then in a stern voice he says "I have two newer members who will be taking guard duty tonight. You may take the rest of your shift off. Praise Razmir" he doesn't wait for a response before turning to Lilly and Artair. "You two will man this post with vigilance, if I come through here and see either of you resting we will have a bigger problem."
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Sato comes back down and swaps out with Finnrick as all but Lily and Artair attempt to make themselves look scarce. Unlike previous attempts, Finnrick manages to stride confidently up the stairs to address the two guards, who hurriedly echo his praises to Razmir. When he's done talking, they shift awkwardly, giving each other what are most likely uncertain looks until the braver of the two pipes up. "Uh...sir? You really want two acolytes to guard the person quarters of the heralds? Those two look like they're from the batch that arrived less than a week ago. I'm not sure Egarthis would approve..." As he trails off awkwardly, the other guard gives another hurried, "P-praise Razmir!" that is quickly echoed by his companion. They definitely seem to be buying the black-robed act. They just need a bit more of a push to follow these unusual orders.
Lily does her best to look confident and intimidating - a bit difficult when your face is concealed, but body language counts for a lot. She folds her arms menacingly and takes a firm stance.
At the sound of the man speaking Finnrick turns to him. "You are still hear? Of course Egarthis approves, even I wouldn't make a decision like this without his approval. Apparently he knew them before.. Wait, why am I explaining this to you. I didn't realize questioning orders was one of Razmir's tenants. Now unless you would like to wake Egarthis yourself I would advise you to stop being so insolent and be grateful that you get the night off. " Finnricks heart is pumping frantically as he attempts to sound like he knows what he is doing. " I wonder who this Egarthis is?
When the guards leave Jaed sight he heads up and starts inspecting first the door and then the mask for any clues pointing to a trap. I hope there is no magic trap. I have never dealt with one of those.
The guards visibly flinch as Finnrick raises his voice to them. At first slowly they begin to move out of their little corners. Their pace gradually picks up as they rush past him, barely avoiding running to escape the man's wrath. When they're gone, Jaed hurries up the stairs and begins carefully examining first the door and then the mask.
As far as he can tell, the door isn't trapped, but it is locked. The mask, on the other hand, seems to be giving off a soft humming noise. He remembers hearing Short Change describing something similar when talking about how some of the rich folk he knew in the city used to have spell casters rig their valuables to sound an alarm if touched. But the sound isn't exactly right for that. Leaning closer but still making sure not to touch it, he hears an almost inaudible crackling noise underneath the humming. In addition to the alarm, it seems the mask is rigged to shock anybody who touches it.
"Nobody gets close to this mask. It is a MAGIC TRAP!" Jaed says feeling a mix of excitement and fear about his new finding.
He moves back to the door. "Good news is that the door does not look trapped but it is locked. I don't have my tools so it maybe be tricky to open it. Let me give it a try either way."
Jaed starts meddling with the door trying to do his best without his thieves' tools.
As Jaed begins to fiddle with the door, too late he hears a soft whoosh from the carved masks as a spray of icicles shoot out of their eyes and cover the area right in front of the door. While he had checked all the usual places, he had missed this one part, assuming that they were just another piece of ornate decoration like so many other things in the temple.
After a moments pause, it appears that is the end of it. Hearing nothing to indicate the trap is resetting, he approaches again, intent upon trying to open the lock. Unfortunately, the mechanism seems to be of good quality and without the proper tools appears beyond the rogue's ability to open.
"Oh no," is all that Jaed has time to say before jumping away from the door. His catlike reflexes barely save him from most of the pointy icicles although some of them still hit.
Once he recovers from the shock he turns and say, "No way I can open this door without my tools. We could try looking for the rest of our gear in the basement. Any other ideas about to do next?"
If we cannot get upstairs, what about the unexplored areas downstairs?
"Well, we're committed to acting now." Sato indicated. "Trap's sprung, guards tricked. There's going to be an investigation if we don't conclude our business here soon."
"I agree with Sato, we cannot turn back now. Jaed what did you find when you went scouting. Any indication of where our gear is. Could we go and find something that could help us?"
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"There is an armory on the ground floor with some brand new weapons and shields," Jaed says trying to remember as much as he can from his scouting night. "There was a locked door in the courtyard, next to the tools shed. Also, in the basement, the door leading in the direction of the cells we were initially kept in was locked so I could not go into that part. If had had to bet I would say our gear is there."
"I could go and try to open that door. I just hope is worse quality than this one," he says pointing at the one next to him. "Can someone come with me and watch while I try that?"
Unfortunately, the lock on the door downstairs heading towards the cells seems to be just as good quality, and Jaed has no luck with his crude, impromptu lockpicks.
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Sato ponders the door. "Do we know who has the key?" Sato asks?
"Must be someone influential," guesses Lily.
"Yes, probably the real black robbed guys." Jaed thinks for a second and adds with a naive look in his face: "Well, it is a door. How about we just knock?"
"I know we are trying to use stealth but what if Artair just hit it with that ax of his? "Finnrick asks as he runs out of ideas.
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A quick knock on the basement door seems to yield no results. No one comes to answer it and no sound of movement can be heard on the other side.
"Does anyone know any spells that could silence the door bashing so we don't wake up everyone in the temple?"
"No... not really in my specialty. Sorry!" says Lily.
"Nor is it mine." Sato answers. "I'm more suited to getting people to open doors FOR me."
I am willing to make a lot of noise if necessary but probably not the best choice.
Can we get in to the armory? At least then we would have arms more than what we have.
You can pretty easily find your way to the armory. The room appears empty of people, with a variety of steel shields mounted on the walls and racks with spears, longswords, short swords, daggers, longbows, and arrows in them. The racks are all sealed up with locks that, though not quite as good as the ones on the doors, are perhaps still out of Jaed's skill to improvise open. Despite this, the smaller items-- daggers and arrows-- seem like they could be maneuvered and pulled out.
"I don't see how these arrows could be used without a bow but some daggers could come in handy." Finnrick says reaching out about to grab one but then checks himself and straightens up. "hmmm, I wonder" Finnrick spreads his arms out and feels for any magical presence in the room.
He also walks around the room and looks for a rope or pry bar, anything other than a weapon that could be used to aid the group.
"I know that we have been here for a while now and have seen what this cult does. They steal from the townsfolk and they bully the shopkeepers into handing over the small amount of coin they have. And all for what? A false god. But we have also seen them do good. I'm sure the man who we bunk with isn't the only one who turned to the cult just to get a hot meal and a place to sleep. They can't all be bad, but this place is never the less in need of a cleansing. I have prayed to Saranre and she has given me council. I do not want to needlessly kill these people but I find no problem stealing from them." As if to make his point Finnrick gingerly sticks his nimble fingers through the bars and pulls out a dagger. Sticking it in the sash of his robe he continues.
"But of course if it comes to killing we must be quick about it and be sure that those whose lives we take deserve it. Like that vile Krant" he adds spitting the name. "As for how we do it, well I'd say the courtyard entrance is our best bet. Unless we run into someone on the way who carries a key I say we make our way to the courtyard and see if we can't get in through that window."
None of the items in the room seem to be magical. Looking around, Finnrick is only able to find some wooden practice swords and battered wooden shields shoved back in one corner. Thinking on it, it seems more likely that one of the sheds in the courtyard would have what the half-elf is looking for than the armory.
"Damn all these doors. I have nothing to do without my precious tools. I agree with Finnrick, we need a different approach. I'm gonna try the window. Finnrick, would you come with me and cover me while I climb? The rest can wait at the other side of the door. See you in a couple of minutes."
Decided and fearless, Jaed heads to the courtyard and starts climbing, trying to stay in the shadows to reduce the chances of being seen.