To Elwyn:
"There is no reason to believe that anyone else knows what is in the shop, but with Master Gelbane out of the picture its not going to take long before someone takes it into their head to sneak inside and liberate it's contents. It shouldn't be to hard to get into the place, but like most of the old pelican warehouses its not in the best of shape, so take care in side the place, watch your footing."
Assuming there are no more questions for the shopkeep...If there are, ask away, he might answer them.
The journey to the dock in question is not a long one, soon you see perched on the end of a long pier fifteen feet above the water, the warehouse. It appears to struggle against its own roof, threatening to sag into the way below. No light shines from the building's windows and only the movement of gulls and pelicans stirs the scene.
The pier that this warehouse sits on stretches 100 feet from the boardwalk and the docks proper, and stands about 15 feet above the water. there are a few people scattered around the pier, some kids and a few fishermen. In the water below the building bobs a small boat, tethered to the pier by a stout, salt-crusted rope.
The front door is locked, the loading bay door appears to be barred from the inside.
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For the shopkeeper: Is there anything else we should be keeping our eyes out for, anything that might be of interest to any of us?
Later, at the dock:
Elwyn surveys the pier, the people, the building and tries to peer in through the windows.
Perception:
If necessary, stealth, in order to pick the lock unseen. If necessary, the others could cause a distraction. Stealth:
Disable device:
Shopkeeper: "There could be all kinds of things of interest, but not to me, I do not keep track of what goes into or out of that warehouse I'm afraid. Other than the chest of course."
Dock: (OOC: Damn you and your perc) A quick search of the building reveals a small slot between two rickety slats. Inside you find a key that fits the front door.
A quick look shows that no one is watching as you quickly unlock the door and slip inside.
Inside darkness fills the warehouse, the ambient light from outside blocked by a filthy, oily film on the structure's few windows. Darting illumination comes from light reflecting off the water through a splintered hole in the floor. Throughout the warehouse, crates, boxes and barrels lean against each other in vaguely sorted stacks. A lingering smell indicates some of the contents are certainly spoiled.
The warehouse itself is roughly 50x70 feet. Most of the floor is littered with crates and boxes. The east side of the building is stacked with cheap plank coffins. The north wall with crates and barrels of various sizes. The south is piled high with boxes and crates. The southwest side of the warehouse has a large hole, a few rotting planks still supporting a chest with three crows stamped onto it.
Just fly near us razor, once we find what we need, you can go mousing.
The light helps to illuminate the area a bit more, but doesn't reveal much more of use other than the crates, and whatever they contain inside. No other boxes appear to have the three crows stamped upon them.
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To Jubei: Look at it this way, friend - you are helping the Society. Who knows how this crate got here? We've no way to know that someone stole it, or that we're stealing it, or that any of this is not on the up and up. If you would rather wait out here, though, we'll understand.
Harboth strolls into the warehouse, keeping a watchful eye out for trouble.
Of course the box that looks like it's ours is the one on the rotting planks.
Rachel: You quickly spot your box resting on the planks above the hole, its the only one marked with three crows. The planks its resting appear to be very precariously balanced.
Harboth: Scouting around the area and the crates/casks you find: Beer casks, blocks of clay, coffee beans, coils of rope, dried fish, lead ingots, nails, nets, raw cotton, spare sails, timber planks, various pulleys and tools and cheap weapons. You also see a crane near the western loading doors. As for the planks, they might hold a mans weight, but just barely.
Elwyn: The hole is fairly large, roughly 10' to a side, the edges soft from years of water wasting the planks away. From where you stand you don't see a lock on the chest, just a clasp that is currently closed. getting to close to the edge doesn't seem like the safest idea. (dc 10 acrobats check to stand on the edge, actually walking out on the plank doesn't look like it would be possible).
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As everyone gathers around the hole to ponder the quandary of getting out to the crate and getting it back without taking a bath three large rats come scuttling out of the mass of collapsed crates where they have been sleeping. It seems that your rooting around in the area has awoken them. The three beasts charge out to defend their nest and rotten food supply.
OOC:
The filthy beasts make enough noise coming out of their hiding spot that no one is overly surprised by them, and you go to an Initiative check.
Init Rat 1.
Init Rat 2.
Init Rat 3.
BTW: Happy Independence Day to you all.
Darting out the three rats rush forward to harass whoever is closest to them, nipping at each other if they get to close, each of you finds yourself squared off with one of the Rodents Of Unusual Size. with no regard for thier own safety, they rush in, pressing the attack.
Elwyn: Rat 1
Attack:
Damage:
Harboth: Rat 2
Attack:
Damage:
Rachel: Rat 3
Attack:
Damage:
To make this quicker, I'm gonna roll up all three, If you get your attack in and kill it before it hits you, then ignore what I've done here.
HP 5, Special Attacks Disease (if your bit, make a FORT check DC 11
Rachel: Razor's attack leaves the rat reeling, but not out of it, the nasty little beast darts in and snaps a chunk out of your leg, , before you slam a bolt into it and leave it skewered to the ground, dead. (OOC: you did pass the save, so no sickness for you. )
One down, two to go.
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Elwyn, pulling himself together, reels back, draws his rapier and slices wildly at the filthy beast.
Attack:
But, uncharacteristically, catches a portruding piece of board, tumbling slightly off balance and fails to reach the rats mangy side.
Nasty vermin ... Fort Save:
** spoiler omitted **
Round 2 for Elwyn:
Attack
Damage?
DC 10 for the Fort Save
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Hmm, lets try this again, Elwyn thinks to himself as he steadies his stance and lunges at the rat.
Attack:
His pierce lands decicively, finding its mark deep in its throat.
Damage:
+
The rapier plunges straight through the animal, catching its juggular, it collapses on the floor, its eyes frozen open, a snapshot of its final moments of terror.
Harboth, if it lives for a round 2:
Attack 2
Damage 2?
DC to avoid Disease 10 (Fort check)
Attacking the last rat for harboth
Crossbow
1d20+2
1d8Razors Talons
1d20+5
2d4
OOC: the crossbow hit will miss, the hawk will hit after Harboth takes his attack.
As the last of the little beasts dies and everyone assess the new cuts and bruises they have acquired you finally begin to sigh a breath of relief, no one seems the worse for wear, though if those wounds don't get looked at they very well might get infected.
(OOC:).
Checking to ensure there are no other little nasty rats waiting to come at you, its now time to get back to the task at hand, the precariously balanced chest.
As Rachel starts to move toward the edge of her quick reflects and Elwyn's timely grab prevent both her, and the crate, from going into the drink below.
The crane itself appears to be in good working order. Use of the crane is simple enough, it's only lacking something at the end of the rope to use on the crate.
It takes little time to find several hooks of various sizes and shapes, along with rope and nets. It takes a bit of work, and some careful work, but soon you have the chest hooked and hoisted up over the hole and back onto solid ground. There is no lock on the chest, opening it reveals the following inside:
A small mahogany box, which contains five books and a few loose sheets of paper in a leather folder. In Accordance with Creation, Geographic Anomalies of the Inner Sea, Under Kaer Maga: A Trial and Travel, Physiology of Dragons:An Illustrated Reference, and Lost Sarusan.. The leather folder contains cargo manifestos, warehouse inventories, and other financial logs from a dozen different merchant houses and trade guilds.
You also uncover:
10 sets of MW thieves' tools
Three flasks of alchemist's fire
a flask of acid
a dozen jars of various inks
a footprint book
adamantine weapon blanch
three bags of powder
a deck of marked cards
two sets of loaded dice
(Don't bother marking any of this down for long term, but take what you want for the rest of this scenario.)
OOC: You found one of the 4 methods for getting it...I'm not gonna make you RP it out, theres no checks or anything once you stumble upon the solution.