"Hmmm. Given the scene we left at the museum, and then at the gambling hall, I'd prefer not to get the watch involved. No telling where their questioning would lead, and I am not a practiced deceiver."
Looking around the quiet street, "This scene is probably going to require some subtlety to avoid getting the watch called as it is."
Is there any sign of a rear entrance to such a place? Also, does it look like it's just the single story (I'm assuming its ground floor)? Lastly, are there windows?
"We may need to do something under cover of darkness here."
"Well... first thing's first," the changeling glides up to the locked front door and knocks loudly.
"Maybe he's in there." Rayne shrugged. "If not, no harm done."
Is there any sign of a rear entrance to such a place? Also, does it look like it's just the single story (I'm assuming its ground floor)? Lastly, are there windows?
"Well... first thing's first," the changeling glides up to the locked front door and knocks loudly.
"Maybe he's in there." Rayne shrugged. "If not, no harm done."
There is no reply to the knock.
"Well s+%+," the changeling muttered after a long pause. "Let me check to see if there's any way in up top..."
Rayne glanced up and down the street for any witnesses and made his way towards an inconspicuous part of the building. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began effortlessly scaling the walls.
This corner of the tower is quiet, and Rayne clambers across the walls undisturbed. However, a quick recce confirms that there is only one way in to the shop - through the locked door.
The changeling crawls back down the wall head first in a most disturbingly unnatural manner. "Nothing up top. It's the door or nothing."
He frowned slightly.
"I'd think picking a lock is actually more subtle than crawling up the side of a building like a bug. Can anyone manage the lock?"
Mirra looks up and down the street and reaches into her belt pouch pulling out her tools, "I will give it a try, keep an eye out."
With the other party members shielding what she is doing from the casual glance of any passers-by, Mirra opens the lock. No one come very close.
The door opens. The interior of the shop is lit by an everbright lantern, and seems deserted. Cabinets contain odd trinkets, tablets and so on, with larger items on stands. The room itself is not very large, maybe 20' by 20', and cluttered. Behind the counter, another door leads into the back rooms of the shop.
Urthona goes once through the shop, but his eyes reveal nothing interesting, at least to him. So he again takes up his guarding position at the entrance.
Shagraat moves around the office, examining items without really touching much.
The hobgoblin speaks in a hoarse whisper. "Our friend Harmal appears to be a Xendrik afficionado - no surprise there, I guess."
Shagraat points out the faded glyph on the door jamb to Colvare. "Any idea what that was?"
Listening for sounds from deeper in the building, Shagraat moves over to the counter and the door behind it.
Shagraat points out the faded glyph on the door jamb to Colvare. "Any idea what that was?"
"Unfortunately, appearances can be deceptive. I'm no trained Mage, and I haven't ever studied magical item creation, or theory. Something I would like to change in the near future.
"It's a magical glyph of some type, but that's all I can say I'm afraid."
Colvare follows Shagraat, into the next room.
Mirra puts her tools away and steps into the shop. She quickly starts looking around but finds nothing interesting in the first room.
I'll defer to Mirra for addressing whatever challenges the door may present - unless we need to knock it down of course. Then I'm your hobgoblin!
While the others search the room, Rayne draws upon his innate power and scans the items in the room for magical auras.
Despite his success at the rooming house, Benedetto really isn't all that cut out for snooping around. He's pretty good with various people skills, though, so he's going to stand outside the building and keep watch. He's keeping a particular eye out for the rooftops.
While the others search the room, Rayne draws upon his innate power and scans the items in the room for magical auras.
Inside:
"Looks like we may have gotten here too late too guys, Shagraat, you want to go first?"
Outside:
Listen check 1d20 + 2: [2,2] = (4) (Whatever Benedetto could've heard was drowned out by a passing wagon.)
Sense Motive check, with Action Point 1d20 + 4 + 1d6: [12,4,4] = (20).
** spoiler omitted **
Do they look like they've been there for a while?
Benedetto doesn't quite turn to look into the shop --it's more a case of his taking a slow view up and down the street-- but she he's looking in the direction of the door, he says, quietly and conversationally:
"Rayne? You got time to come talk to some observant-like folks?"
** spoiler omitted **
Shagraat opens the door and peers in.
The next chamber is a stockroom of some kind, with shelves filled with crates and packages, maybe thirty feet long. The nearest part is more open and set up as an office, with a desk covered in papers and a chair behind it. Sitting in the chair, the lower half of his body hidden by the desk, is a well-dressed man, maybe in his forties with greying hair. His head lolls back over the back of his chair and his mouth hangs open slackly, as does the horrific wound in his neck which gapes raggedly. The front of his clothing is covered in blood and a large pool of it runs from under the desk.
As Shagraat gazes at the ghastly corpse, there is a light thud. A string, tied to the handle of the door on the inside of the stockroom, pulls over a book on a shelf to the left, landing on another propped volume. This causes a red bead, glowing faintly with an inner fire, that rested on the second tome to be catapulted from the shelf towards the desk.
Meanwhile, a largish skycoach, more wagon-sized for carrying cargo than for passenger use, gently floats into view and touches down at a deserted landing at the edge of the tower, maybe twenty yards away.
Rayne smirked as the hobgoblin prepared to make his entrance. "Of course, Benny."
The changeling turned and stepped outside to see what was going on.
(Rayne can see the 'outside' spoiler, above.)
Outside:
Listen 1d20 + 3: [19,3] = (22)
Sense Motive, expending my focus: 1d20 + 4 + 10: [9,14] = (23)
Benedetto smiles at Raine and says, towards the door, "Hurry it up in there, folks. And find a back way out, if ya can."
Shagraat's reaction is to dive back around the corner and use the wall for cover against what he assumes is a deadly trap.
Choosing discretion as the better part of valor, Shagraat will make tracks for the front door as soon as he's able to react further.
Outside:
Outside:
Knowledge (religion)? 1d20+2: [11,2] = (13)
Diplomacy? 1d20: [15] = (15)
Disguise? 1d20: [14] = (14)
Well, I'll be dog-gone. That's practically mediocre! Much better'n what I was expecting!
"By the Flame!" exclaims one, "They are using fireballs - take them down!" They quickly draw daggers and coshes from inside their coats and move to attack.
"F@#~!" Colvare ducks to the opposite side of the doorway from the hobgoblin.
"Well, so much for subtlety!"
In the entrance to the street:
Outside:
At the muffled sounds coming from the shop, Benedetto turns to Rayne. "What were you boys doin' in there?"
Initiative: 1d20+1 : [18,1] = (19)
As the explosion dies down, Colvare looks back into the room, looking out primarily for anything that might have survived the blast and be worth retrieving [ooc](is the body moving like it might not be quite dead, are there any papers that escaped etc etc etc)[ooc].
Roll(1d20=14) So 17 for sport or 15 for search.
He cannot help but be distracted by the flames though, and begins dwelling again on his fateful past...
** spoiler omitted **
Colvare, still smoking, heads quickly for the door...."Yeah, thanks Urthona, got a little distracted there...."
I'm headed for the door to street as soon as I'm able.