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"Ok, looks it is our chance", said Sothy, "let's find LadyZ and let's make it quick."
He passed near the bear and took a look outside the waiting room, to find out what's there. Seeing no one behind the door, he put his backpack aside, leaving daggers, book, scroll case and lots of potions to himself. His belt pouch was pretty big, because he put lots of small stuff in it.
"This will make me less noisy. I believe your bear is intelligent enough not to eat my rations, while we are working here.".
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"Woah there. Before we going storming off, I think someone is on to us. Bear can track whoever was at that door. What say we find who is spying on us first then look for the missing Pathfinder. I don't want to get caught with my hand, or Bear's hand, in the honey pot. You know, our entrance was not without it difficulties."
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"Scrolls of disguise will last only 10 minutes, so no point of taking them now, only if we encounter someone; but two most noisy ones probably should take those potions."
Sothy checked his belt.
"I can drink my potion to get myself look like Anstrella and move forward to check, what is there. If anyone sees me, he will think this is night officer checking out embassy, and I will give you a sign to hide and withdraw if someone will come. But it will also work 10 minutes maximum.".
He looked around to check, who of his friends look quiet enough.
"Same could be done by any of you with invisibility potion. It will last during this hour. So, who can cast "disguise self" from a scroll except me?"
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"Garn," Graxzos growls. "I'll drink a potion if I hafta, but I gotta say I'm not wholly convinced it's necessary. I say let's be off and deal with any problems..." he shakes his loaded pistol meaningfully, "as we encounter 'em. I'll throw on a disguise or drink that invisibility drink if I need it."
So saying, the dwarf stumps over to the door that was propped and pulls it all the way open, sticking his head out into the hall and scanning the surrounding area. "Small room, another door on 'tother side," he reports. "Let's go!"
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This short hallway doesn't appear to get much use. The only other door is locked, but the hall ends at a set of crimson draperies hanging from the ceiling to the south.
Whoever opened the door for you 'forgot' his key ring in the lock. The ring holds three keys: the key to the doors in this room, another regular door key, and an odd key that ends in the shape of an Asmodean cross.
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Graxzos lifts the key out of the lock, eyeing the Asmodean cross. "I'd bet good Chelish copper that THIS opens something important...what say we hang onto these, eh?" he suggests, pocketing it. Beckoning the others forward, he creeps (as silently as possible) across the little chamber and listens at the other door, one hand on the knob.
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"We don't have time for shilly-shallying," Graxzos growls grimly. "We gotta find the residential wing, get into Zarta's chambers, and get outta here. Way I see it, we got a couple of options." He ticks them off on his fingers as he goes.
"One: we cause some sort of ruckus to clear this next place out. Could be somethin' scary, though that's like as not to bring guards. Could be one of us usin' magic to disguise ourselves, and ordering the room cleared. Somethin' like that. Two: we send someone through invisibly, to sneak across and investigate the other side. Three: we go through there." He points to the red curtain. "...Assuming that's a passageway, that is."
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"Psst! It's just that damned curtain. I cannot find how to look normally, without putting myself visible" said Sothy.
While dwarf was looking. He took a scroll out of case and read it. After that, his outlook changed - bandolier with scrolls disappeared, old cloak was replaced by nice suit and small potions now become glasses on servant's tray.
"I think, I can go for check now, if you let me pass", he said to dwarf who made same mistake as Sothy did before, choosing wrong side of curtain.
"I'm not good at bluffing, but I can take you with me and pretend you to be honour guests to review kitchen or something? Or I can check alone and return as I will have a clean way through"
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Sothy was walking in between other servants, took several empty glasses on his tray and returned back to small curtained room for other party.
"Ok, here is the picture: staight behind this curtain is hallway, than another curtain to get out in main ballroom. It's full of people, that are having good time, probably someone can get through. There is kitchen left from us and way east: don't know what's there, I needed to return, because spell duration ends quick."
"Guys, here you are, they already out of champagne and caviar in south wing. Chief send me to find someone, who can help. Let's go!"
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As Sothy returned to his friends, he said:
"Ok, here is the picture: staight behind this curtain is hallway, than another curtain to get out in main ballroom. It's full of people, that are having good time, probably someone can get through. There is kitchen left from us and way east: don't know what's there, I needed to return, because spell duration ends quick."
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Graxzos frowns as well. "It'd be blamed near impossible for us all to get through that, which is worrisome. Thinkin' we should stick together if possible...maybe try to head through the door to th'east. We come tearin' out that curtain into the ballroom, we are gonna be noticed, and probably not in a good way. I'd say we blend in with the servants better."
Pausing in thought, Graxzos murmurs a message to their ally in the ballroom. Heyo, quick question: d'ye know which part o' the building the residential section is in? Also, when all this is done, ya wanna get a drink with a good-lookin', friendly dwarf?
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"Kitchen is behind this door, might be some of you can grab staff from there and pose as servants" Sothy suggested, "I'm willing to checkout passage behind that ballroom. Last time I was noticed by some servants, but this time, I'll check for noone to be in hallway before I come in".
Sothy stopped at curtain for a moment, picking a moment, and then tried to move out.
"We running out of time", he said before leaving small room.
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So that's a maybe on the drinks! Graxzos thinks to himself, with a grin.
"We'd be goin' the wrong way, regardless," he says aloud. "I just check in wi' Amara; Zarta's room was in the southwestern section o' the building. Far as I can tell...we're headed east. I say we turn about and see if that clerk is still the only one at the front desk, then see if we can get away from there to the south. Remember, we've got a little somethin' to distract her with..." Graxzos pats the flask of shiver and grins mischievously.