Adir ignores the guards as they call out that no one has left recently, instead continuing his rush onwards.
The druid bull rushes right over the young stable boy, likely a nephew of some sort, knocking the lad to the ground and scattering the freshly cleaned saddle blankets everywhere
Adir charges further along the hallway, passing a storage room, a privy, the night chamberlain's quarters, right up to the closed kitchen doorway, not spotting any trace of the blonde acolyte along his route.
Delia notices that Adir's breakneck pace is keeping him from being able to fully check the rooms as they fly past. She slows a little and begins to look into the rooms as they pass by. "Adir, set up a perimeter outside the building once you are out. Sound an alarm of some sort if you see her outside!"
Delia, chasing after Adir, gains a bit of luck, not being stopped by the concerned and confused guards at the Front Hall. She says to them as she passes, A blonde woman attacked the council, no one leaves...
She follows Adir down the other hallway, barely reaching the nearest storage room, letting the door swing wide. At the quickest glance the small room looks fairly normal: high shelves packed with various sundry goods, cleaning mops and brooms, a short length of rope protruding out of the ceiling, a trio of sand and empty buckets, a small refuse bin, all just what you would expect to find in a storage room dedicated to such an important civic and residential building.
As the others head out of the room by the other exits Brampton takes a moment to pick up a sword from one of the downed guards.
Since there was no explosion behind the door Brampton slowly opens it to peer down the hallway that the blonde escaped down.
Brampton nods his thanks as he passes the guard before swinging open the door. He sees the strange bag laying on the ground, a pull/fuse cord similar to those used by the orc bombers which runs down the hallway and ends in a jumbled spool near the end of the antechamber. It does not appear to be smoking or burning.
Across the hallway which crosses this passage's far end he can barely see the edge of a door, cracked just a bit.
Up First: Blonde Acolyte
First Group: Dundin, Maslyn, Songan
Second Group: Adir, Brampton, Delia
is up, 48 hour timer counting
A curious suspicion overtakes Maslyn. He looks at the stableboy and casts detect magic, doing his best to move to exclude other people from the cone of detection.
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Having heard the insistence from the guards that no one had gone that way, Songan diverts from his original course; if the assailant was still in the building, given the damage that they were able to do already, it was too dangerous to separate and go completely alone, so he instead he follows Delia's course and ends up joining she and Maslyn.
Delia looks over her shoulder to Maslyn, but nods her understanding of his statement.
Dundin catches up to the others.
Brampton is looking out the first doorway, along the 20' deep and 10' hallway/makeshift waiting antechamber at another hallway which abuts it, in a sideways T manner. The door he spies is just up the other hallway to the left, on the outside wall.
Adir is facing up that adjoining hallway, roughly 20' from the intersection Brampton sees. There is a door 5' from Adir on his left, 15' from Adir on the right. Another door is 30' from Adir also on the right. A last door is 35' from Adir on the left. 60' up the hallway the Kitchen door just closed.
Delia is 25' from Adir by a half open door on her left, one Maslyn whispered about to her. Maslyn and Songan are 5' behind Delia. Dundin is 5' behind that pair, with the stable boy and two guards from the Front Hall approaching 5' behind the group, confused to what is transpiring and possessing no official orders regarding what has transpired.
Up First: Blonde Acolyte
First Group: Dundin, Maslyn, Songan
Second Group: Adir, Brampton, Delia
is up, 48 hour timer counting
Brampton moves forward across the antechamber avoiding the bomb on the floor. He then moves to the door on the outside wall to see if the blonde went out that way.
Brampton moves past the strange bag, noticing the cord is actually tied to the strapped closures, wrapped almost like a drawstring. Quick but cautious the soldier breathes a moment's relief when nothing happens with the satchel, it continues laying still and unmoving.
The warrior cuts in front of Adir, noticing the druid seems to be looking past him on down the hallway. The warrior shoulders open the other door and quickly glances around. He spies a set of yellow robes lying on the floor, discarded in a hurry. The air in the room smells faintly of sweat, with a barest trace of perfume. The small linen closet seems to have been rustled recently, as some of the sheets and towels on the outside wall have been turned and jumbled frontwards, hanging several inches off their shelves.
Delia spots the strange rope dangling from the ceiling and quickly casts a spell that will allow her to sense magical auras. Given that a wizard pointed out the possibility of someone hiding in the room and the magic at work, she wondered if someone was using magic to hide in here. She also suddenly smiles as she shakes her head and her nose seems to elongate into a wolf muzzle with grey fur. She then draws the hopeknife, Brinya's Love, as she steps into the room, looking and sniffing around.
The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.
When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When the creature is within 5 feet of the source, it pinpoints the source's location.
A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.
Adir heads towards the kitchen, planning to have guards seal the perimeter.
Delia's senses are quickly assailed by all of the smells around her as her body adapts to the mystical bound she shares with Jace. Like the great cat her olfactory capabilities explode with a plethora of new and strange sensations. It takes her a moment to pull her thoughts together and focus on everything around her, trying to narrow it down to just the blonde acolyte. She smells mold and dust lingering around Maslyn, a warm, almost familiar sensation wafting from Songan, harsh and brackish odors emanating from the cleaning supplies, and too many other various melodies of sent to wade through streaming along the hallway, clinging to the surfaces, eddying in the closet.
She narrows it down, thinking about the fire, the soot, the smell of pungent black powder and sulfur. Yes, got it, it was here, faintly, in this room. Looking up she sees the rope disappears into the ceiling, or rather just below the ceiling, gone into thin air. There, it came from there, a magical portal maybe. Did it go back up there? It's in the hallway too, but different, stronger? It was nearby but now it's fading, blowing away. Yes different, mixed somehow with everything else. The sensations are almost too much for the huntress to sort through, someone was here, may still be here, she's just not sure. Brampton's room maybe. Fresher air there, I can smell it.
Adir rushes past Brampton down the hallway, not registering the yellow robes in his hand. He bursts through the kitchen doorway, noticing one of the cooks just settling down on a stool, the others already idling, waiting for the call to clear the tables in the dining hall.
The door to the outside stands open, a small boy entering with two heavy buckets of water, another behind him with an arms load of cut cordwood for the stockpile in the corner.
Have you anyone pass this way moments ago, a blonde girl, wearing robes? he asks to the confused looks of the household staff. They all clamor to respond, stating no one but the staff and guardsmen in the last few minutes. Sergeant Frum came this way once the meeting started, heading to the Longhouse, a teary eyed girl says over a platter of half-diced onions. But that was almost an hour ago.
Up First: Blonde Acolyte
First Group: Dundin, Maslyn, Songan
Second Group: Adir, Brampton, Delia
is up, 48 hour timer counting
Maslyn cautiously moves forward to look into the room which Delia entered, around the doorframe, without entering it.
Maslyn grasps the amulet he wears about his neck and intones some words. He produces some powdered corn and a twisted loop of parchment from a pouch, sprinkling the former through the latter, then holding the loop of parchment up to his left eye.
Maslyn points up toward where the rope disappears into the ceiling.
Maslyn leans over to Delia, within range for Songan's feline ears to pick up, Delia, I believe that is a rope trick spell, which creates an extradimensional space. The opening is where the rope disappears. Spells won't cross the barrier, but physical objects should be able to.
Keeping his voice low and covering his mouth so his lips can't be read, Maslyn whispers to Delia and Songan.
"Those in the extradimensional space can see out of it as if a 3-foot-by-5-foot window were centered on the rope."
Maslyn and Songan have a quick conversation with Delia, attempting to mask their actions from potential prying eyes, not quite sure if they are succeeding or not. Is the acolyte in the magical alcove above or has she disappeared some other direction?
Dundin stands ready with the guardsmen, ordering one to move the child back out of the way. He then readies the large hammer, dependent upon what the others find ahead.
Up First: Blonde Acolyte
First Group: Dundin, Maslyn, Songan
Second Group: Adir, Brampton, Delia
is up, 48 hour timer counting
Delia put the blade between her teeth, jump up to grab the rope, and then pull herself upwards into the dimension space to see if their quarry still hides within; however, her newly acquired senses may be telling her otherwise...
Satisfied for the moment, Adir heads back towards the servant quarters exit.
"Adir! This way! I found something!", Brampton shouts. He beings to pull on the shelves and push on the walls.
The shelves must have been push back to cause the linens to slide forward
Brampton calls out for Adir as the druid starts to pass, instead stepping into the doorway of the small room the warrior is now searching.
Brampton struggles and can find no way to pull or push upon the shelves to cause a passage to open. Dropping to his knees he instead searches the lower shelf upon which the towels had been moved and jostled. Hastily drilled into the back wall were three small holes little bigger than his index finger. Three holes spaced about two inches apart, cored all the way through the wall and out into the open air surrounding the Ivory Hall. Set aside and partially hidden by the surplus linens lays a well worn and oiled hand drill set with a dirty, silvery drill bit. Rock dust and timber splinters cling to the bit's channels.
Within the other small room Delia jumped up and grabbed hold of the rope intending to pull herself upwards. Instead she dropped heavily, nearly falling on her arse as the rope slid free of the hidden magical alcove above It was only due to the length of rope reaching the end of it's anchor that she was kept from landing roughly, embarrassingly on the ground. It seems she can now climb the length into whatever and whoever hangs overhead.
Up First: Blonde Acolyte
First Group: Dundin, Maslyn, Songan
Second Group: Adir, Brampton, Delia
is up, 48 hour timer counting
Dundin follows the rest of the group. He is not happy to encounter any major magic. He had had enough magic to last him for a while.
As Brampton and Adir find a series of holes drilled into the outside wall of the Ivory Hall compound Delia and the others discover a magical bolt hole hidden away in another closet. Delia carefully climbs a rope up into the small chamber expecting to find the escaped would-be assassin, ready to strike back against her. Instead she finds an unconscious young girl, the real acolyte who was supposed to have been assisting with the prayers enjoined over the council's dinner and meeting.
Assisting the young women down the group reconvenes in the hallway outside the dining hall where already other clerics and village healers have arrived to attend to the wounded. Reports from the room indicate that three people succumbed to the fiery blast of the assassin's spell, another half dozen severely wounded. Of the key council members none suffered major injury, some burns and scorches, singed hair and ruddy complexions.
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Songan seems deeply frustrated by how easily the group was infiltrated; it could've been much worse than three dead, as tragic as that was in and of itself. Before he tries to give any theories on what happened, though, he looks to the others. "I'm going to go check that bag that she dropped. Seems likely there wasn't anything of any immediate danger in it at this point." he says, heading out into the hallway to retrieve the pack and bring it back to the others.
"Adir, what do you make of these holes? Could the girl have used magic to escape this way? We have the her robes and there is no where else she could have gone. I followed her and you cut her off. She had to have come in here and disappeared."
Still holding the robes Brampton heads outside to examine the holes from there.
"But why three? My mind is boggled."
Delia will lower the acolyte down to the others, then join Brampton and Adir in the other room. She takes a moment to sniff around the holes.
Dundin shakes his head.
"She was a magician, she probably got small like I was big."
"I'm going to go check that bag that she dropped. Seems likely there wasn't anything of any immediate danger in it at this point." he says, heading out into the hallway to retrieve the pack and bring it back to the others.
The bag contains a small roll of fuse cord, a small dark wig of indeterminate hair, a short handbill, a rolled up parchment, three small jars of makeup, and a vial of cheap perfume.
Still holding the robes Brampton heads outside to examine the holes from there.
The holes appear to be recently drilled, small bits of masonry and wooden splinters lay on the ground below the holes. Looking around no one seems to have noticed anything, what people are present are moving around town on normal business. No one seems even remotely interested in the area or what Brampton is checking on.
She takes a moment to sniff around the holes.
Delia sniffs around the female assassin's drill holes and picks up a strong scent of sweat, cheap perfume, and other bodily odors. They were perhaps more closely concentrated but have been dispersed by the slight breeze drawing air from the room outside. In the air beyond the scent quickly dissipates, scattered into the wind.
The acolyte appreciates being unbound and ungagged. She indicates she was passing the closet and recall hearing a door creak before she was struck solidly to the head and must have lost consciousness. When she awoke she was laying inside the small magical sphere alone. She never saw her attacker.
Examining the small holes, Maslyn speculates aloud.
"Perhaps she needed these holes to escape after she assumed a gaseous form, either through her own magical power or that of a potion or scroll?"
Delia stands up straight and reports what she seems to have found, believing that Maslyn may very well have the right of it. "Perhaps we could break through the stone or remove it?" She looks at Brampton and Adir, despite her toned muscle they were both much stronger than her.
"That seems needlessly destructive. At the very least we should ask permission of the owners. Perhaps we can determine where it goes without such drastic methods?"
Delia will also examine the scroll that was tossed to her earlier a bit more thoroughly while they decide their next course of action.
"And you need three holes for that?"
"Technically one would suffice. While I am fascinated by this, I would suggest that further speculation is pointless without further evidence. Perhaps we should move to the exterior of the building where the holes lead and search for further clues?"
Brampton returns as Maslyn suggests going outside. "It is business as usual outside. The holes are there but no one seems to have noticed them or has any idea what went on in here. It does seem that the holes were cut from the outside."
After looking over all the evidence Brampton sums up his thoughts. "So the assailant cuts the holes and uses magic to enter the building and then assaults the acolyte and hides her up the rope. Then she, or it could have been a he, puts on a disguise to gain access to the banquet, launches a magical assult when confronted by Delia, and makes an escape back out the hole."
"Does anyone see a different scenario?"
"Barring more evidence those all seem like reasonable conclusions. What would motivate such an assault?"