Where's the lab then sir? The Guard thanks you for your help
Calling everyone together he summarises
"Right. We need to know who's still inside. We need to know if there's anything dangerous inside. We do need to know where the fire started, and if anyone saw what started it - but that can wait. If we need to go in, we need protection from the fire, but more importantly protection from the smoke. Any answers?"
Castor takes inventory of his resources.
"I do have a scroll of resist energy, which can give one person protection from fire for about 10 minutes. Also here I have a scroll which will produce a bubble of air around one person, but it will function for one minute only."
"It seems the directeur might be on the top floor in the room with the main summoning circle. If we want to send someone to try to enter it from the outside, I have one scroll which will enable that person to climb on walls like a spider. That person could secure a rope up there to make the climb easier for the others or I could combine it with a another spell which would triple his or her carrying capacity and he or she could carry us up."
"If we choose to enter from the street, the combination of wet towels with the mist created by the quanch wand ashould give us the opportunity to search the place without suffocating. In my opinion..."
"Regarding the possible opposition we might be facing, I will check with the sorcerers. I hope they will tell me."
Castor excuses himself and approches the largest group of Societe members.
"Excuse me, sirs. I am with the Guard and as we are preparing to enter the building, would you be so kind and tell us what we might be facing inside? I was given to understand you have a special zoo and it is highly possible the creatures might escape in the confusion."
Director on the top floor or the lab in the basement sirs? Osama asks as she returns to wetting the sides of the building. She'll be able to wet any towels or rags easily when they are found.
"The fire started in the lab, downstairs, and as long as whatever started this is not stopped, we may get trapped upstairs. Flames travel faster upwards than downwards, so if we want to save this building and minimize risk for ourselves, I'd suggest we go to the basement first, trying to make sure that we put out all fires there and in the ground floor. That will also give us some respite since we can come back down to catch our breath if need be"
Isama nods An' if the source ain't in the basement we can regroup outside and climb up to the head honcho's summoning place
"Thank you, sir." Pompous idiot...
Castor smiles and moves to another group of Societe members, trying the same question.
As he moves, he searches his memory for any information regarding Gibbering Mouthers.
Following her information-gathering and a short exchange with her co-guards, Daria moves up to the door, taking a look in through the entrance from outside, trying to gauge how bad it is in the lower floors, and sharing that info with her colleagues.
"The structure has been quarantined, so the situation will not escalate further. Unless the property contain further breaches of the city fire safety standards." Ophelia reports back to the squad. She gives the ensemble of magicans an empty stare, her face blank. After an uncomfortable long moment she blinks and focuses on Castor. "Shall we enter the structure then?"
The sergeant nods "Alright. We'll go in, Quench the basement. Let's get some wet cloths, like Castor suggested.
Yes, indeed I have something more to do outside...and that is, asking one of the "regulars" what makes the servants follow orders, and/or what makes them recognize someone as a member of this place.
Officially to prevent unnecessary damage to them if they try to prevent the guard from doing their duty.
Unofficially, if I find out anything, I'll "try" and give them constructs an order to secure all aberrations and oozes in their holding cells.
I don't really expect them to succeed, but maybe they can set a few of those ablaze and soften them up for us.
Chatting up members:
Alternatively, try to remember with an applicable knowledge-Check how this is usually handled, then attempt to "spoof" a command: Take 10 for 21.
"Alright! Let's do this!"
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Take 10. So none of them know how the servants decide if someone is a member of the Academie or not?
I look to see if there is some "obvious" symbol on the robes and check if the robes they wear are magical(Detect Magic and )Also, ) on the off chance I know who is the creator of these. If I DID visit here before(you never answered) also if I remember where this person would have their office/the maintainance area for constructs. If I don't remember, thats the final question("Where are the constructs assembled and maintained?") I ask one of the members before entering:
If I find anything non-magical on their clothes, I ask Ophelia to try and duplicate the Symbol on my dress via Prestidigitation.(I think Castor has no Disguise Self/Alter self available...and my own glamered armor is not with me, but I make the intent pretty clear to my co-guards if any of those have better options available)
Also, I'm addressing my co-guards:"Right at the entrance, there's some of those hardwood constructs, on fire, which signalled me to refrain from entering. Was just taking a look then, but if we try to enter, it may well be they try to remove us from the premises forcefully, and while on fire. If there's some means of bypassing them() via authority then we should try that."
Castor informs his superior about the possible escapees, including anything he remembers about those creatures in general.
Checking to know if Daria knows more she can share with Castor and the others=>
Thirus tears a bit of cloth off his cloak and wets it in one of the forgotten hats from the ill-fated 'bucket' chain. He hopes it will cover his mouth from the noxious smoke.
He speaks to Daria "Do we have time to go through the chain of command? We might be better server just by bullying through. I don't mind subtly or doing things the right way, but lives are at risk while we make our choices!. An edge of impatience slips into his voice. The paladin is obviously ready to barge into the burning building to save others.
Castor asks around for a piece of cloth to wet and tie around his face.
He cleans it using his arcane skills before actually using it.
"Ser Thirus, I concur with your estimation of our situation. I did not intend to go through the chain of command. But I also doubt they reprogramm all of their constructs each time a new member joins the Academie or one leaves it for good. I would guess that there should be some easy way to fool those servants into leaving us alone, or even assisting us."
"We could ask one of the members to ask the constructs to let us through."
"I doubt those will be the only ones in the building, Diene. As a matter of fact, I saw another burning one near the stairs just peeking in. I would prefer a permanent solution that does not involve us destroying them unnecessarily." With these words, Daria can't help but glance at Ophelia, wondering if she felt any form of kinship to those, by comparison, primitive brethren.
"Any override is likely to save time. Agree." Ophelia nods in support of the halfling. "Being obstructed by *anything* on fire should be avoided."
At the moment, the clockwork seem to lack any emotional tell, most likely to avoid any hassle with the gathered arcanists.
I'm fetching Diene and Ser Thirus as backup before trying to requisition those rings.
"Dear members, if it was a blood thing, they'd happily let me enter. Which they don't. I rather suspect it has to do with these rings of yours, and in the interest of minimizing damage to the academie and it's content, I will have to ask you to let us requisition a sufficient number of them while we are on the premises. We will need 8 rings."
Following that, Daria stands(hopefully flanked by Diene and Ser Thirus), holding out her hand, clearly waiting for the sorcerers to part with their rings.
If they hesitate or try to talk back, she interrupts:"Hey, it's your place thats on fire, and I'm not sure everything in there is according to the city fire regulations. If it burns down, that's just slightly more paperwork for me, but much preferable over being killed by a construct on fire because you guys were being stubborn."
"If we're wrong, we'll just pop the rings back over, no problem, you can count on us. Annnnd even better for you, if we die and get your rings burned, you get to bill the city for them, because WE took them in against your better judgement. And it's not hard to embellish their description a little for that." Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Once they're out of earshot, Diene whispers to Mia, "Don't preface requests with informing people they're wrong, puts 'em on the defensive. Just happily agree and ask for whatever you wanted anyway, 'just in case'"
Mia whispers back to Diene:"You are totally right. But I couldn't help myself telling them bluntly. They carry their noses so high, you'd think if they yawn you could see the stick they have up their ...behinds."
Then Mia smiles cautiously, seeming somewhat insecure if her attempt at bonding was too forward.
"Aw, I wouldn't wanna hang out with em, but I don't hold it against em. They just want to feel special, so they make their little club. It's cute, really." Diene seems not to notice any hesitance, just giving a slight shrug.
The servants raise their left hands, gesturing for the group to stop.
"Oooh, fancy." Diene looks at the ring as she puts it on, and thus notices that it changes to suit her. Hers is three-quarters portrait shot from the rear, of a hooded (in red, presumably) werewolf, a flicker of fire visible on its breath.
"Hello. We're here to cast magic to put the building OFF fire." Diene addresses the Mechanical Manservant. Who is on fire.
(to imitate an official galtian pre-revolutionary seal)
When the mechanical manservants tries to stop them, Daria tries to step forward and presents her ring to them: "Stand down, servants. How dare you stop Galtian nobility from entering" "I hereby revise your current orders. First: follow us from room to room, stay with us. Second: If we are attacked, defend us. Third: If something that does not wear one of these rings burns in the room we are in, try and move everything you can lift into one corner, then stand in that corner if you are on fire too."
[i]Amazing creatures, these mechanical men...[i]Thirus thinks as he sees the talking manservant. But such wonder is quickly stifled by the inferno around them. Now is not the time to gape at magical wonders.
"If they can talk, ask them if anyone else remains in the building, then's lets get a move on...' The dwarf says to Daria, muffled by the wet cloth over his face.
Ophelia puts the ring on, noting with curiosity but not understanding as the sigil changes. For the first time since she left the guard station, her mask reflected some of her emotions. Interesting! Her own sigil morphed into a tiny mass of clockwork, roughly in the shape of a (stylized, not anatomical) heart. With some quick sideways glances, she observed what the other rings showed.
___________________________________________________
The clockwork looked around, noting all the features (and fires) of the scene. At the moment, things felt almost ordered - but they could descend into uncomfortable chaos soon enough. She winced a little at the sight of the paintings burning - both from practical and emotional reasons. They helped the fire spread and it was always sad to see knowledge, even painted images, be destroyed.
"Should they prove uncompliant, I may be able to distract them..."
Ophelia notes quietly and gestures towards the melting/burning/guarding constructs. Her other hand reaches for her Wand of Silent Image.
The manservant on the left cocks his head as Mia talks, then the burned metal frame of his face-mask moves as if trying to talk. No noise comes out, however.
The manservant on the right attempts to gently restrain Mia.
Diene notices the mechanical manservant moving forward, and counting on it not yet desiring lethal action as she goes for a leg sweep.
"CAN SOMEONE SET THEM OFF FIRE! PUNCHING THINGS THAT ARE ON FIRE IS NOT FUN!"
Isama drenches the creature that is trying to restrain Mia with water and then the other one. Are they still guardin' the place? How do we get 'em to stand down and quickly?
She hasn't noticed what's happening to her sigil or to the others but her ring shows three icons. On top is a collection of three towers signifying a city, on the bottom is a lush and spreading tree, in the middle between those two is a trader's scale perfectly balanced.