" Is there a backdoor we could come through?" Sophie mutters to the others
After watching for some time, there does not seem to be any activity in the temple for the rest of the day.
"Do we need to go in at night? Force our way in if they're still there? Can any of you put them to sleep?"
The wizard shakes her head mutely, then looks expectantly at Niculae.
The wizard shakes her head mutely, then looks expectantly at Niculae.
Niculaie shakes his head. “I can’t put anyone to sleep, but if there are just a few people there when we go in, I may be able to fascinate them while you search the temple. If we have to fight, I can frighten a larger number of them.”
Don't you have a spell that could spy for us, Pontia? Some kind of magical flying eye?
"As long as there's a small opening--the eye can't go through solid barriers."
Well, all we need is a window and a well-aimed rock so.
answers the redhead with a mischevious smile
"A broken window would gain attention. Can the eye fly in the way we went in?"
"If there's a gap between the door and the frame, yes."
“That does sound like it would provide us with more direct intelligence than sending in another rat.”
"Let's start with that, then, child." Sophie nods sagely.
The wizard finds an unobtrusive place to cast her divination and does so, sending the arcane sensor towards the doors.
"Be quick about it. We got ourselves enough attention already." Gregor watches warily as Pontia uses her magics.
When Pontia reports on what she saw through her floating eye, Niculaie frowns.
"A dormitory? So it would be safe to assume that at least a few people will be sleeping in the church each night. If we come back late enough, though, they may all be sleeping deeply enough that we can sneak around without waking them - and hopefully there won't be quite so many of them."
"Hmph, these folk have been suspicious enough already. I wouldn't mind bonking a few of their heads to find out the truth about this place." Their initial encounter with the acolytes had clearly rubbed Gregor the wrong way.
"That sounds like an acceptable plan, Nic. Though I'm wondering if there isn't some other way in. I didn't see anyone who looked like a high priest."
Gregor is keeping his shoes on unless taking them off somehow helps him be quieter--he doesn't respect the temple's worshippers after their quick eviction, and it bleeds over.
Arriving at the two sleeping cultists, Gregor sees if there was any way to avoid that room; otherwise, it seemed like time to tiptoe through it.
Before they enter the temple, Niculaie casts heightened awareness again . When Gregor points to the sleeping cultists, Niculaie steps over to the door on the right and listens for any sound coming from the other side.
he steps aside with a nod to Vivian so she can listen for herself and check the door before anyone tries to opens it.
he shakes his head and motions to the other side of the room .
Silently, Vivian moves between both doors, listening to each of them
Gregor lets Niculaie and Vivian do their scouting and report back.
When it's confirmed that they hear nothing behind one of the doors , he encourages the party to gather there. And then he opens the door!
Sophie stands by behind Gregor.
Niculaie takes his bow off his shoulder and nocks an arrow before nodding to Gregor to indicate that he’s ready.
Pontia removes her shoes and leaves them at the door, reasoning that she'll be better able to move quietly without them. Then she keeps to the rear of the party as Gregor opens the door, crossbow ready.
Gregor opens the door.
This small chapel contains a simple altar of green stone at its far end. A mosaic on the wall above the altar depicts a creature that appears to be a mixture of fish, frog, and human. The air is thick with the smell of rotting fish.
That strange creature is a Skum. Unusual, but it's a submarine creature after all. And I'm not that familiar with Gozreh's faith. My mom would say I should have listened to her lessons in theology more carefully...
Gregor braces himself for combat as he opens the door. Instead of an obvious threat, he finds a strange sea creature altar and sniffs rotting fish.
"This place is putrid--do they leave fish offerings here?" It was not particularly suspicious. He enters and looks around the room.
Pontia frowns. "No, they're not usually venerated in Gozreh's faith. Certainly not in the more orthodox branches, and not in any of the less common ones I'm familiar with."
“I agree, Pontia. Even if the Recondite Order of the Indomitable Sea is an offshoot of the mainline organized faith of the Wind and the Waves, it would have to have shot pretty far off for the congregation to make skum an object of their prayers.”
Pontia casts detect magic and looks around for auras.
"So you're tellin' me this place is extra fishy?"
Letting that sink in for a moment, Gregor listens at the next door.
“Well, if you mean fishy in the sense of suspicious, I guess… oh, yes, very amusing.”
Lavishly furnished, this chamber obviously houses a person of high station. A large desk and plush chair stand next to the south wall, across from an opulent bed against the north wall between two windows. The other furnishings in the room, including a large sea chest in one corner, are clearly of good quality, though an unpleasant fishy smell hangs in the air, particularly near the bed.
These are the private quarters of Albor Voltiaro, Vizier of the Recondite Order. A large leather chest has been pulled from beneath the bed and upended, and beside it lies an open coffer that was obviously taken from the chest. A number of empty and broken glass bottles lie near the coffer, some with still a bit of liquid remaining in their bottoms or spilled upon the floor.
The large sea chest in the cornor is locked .
Vivian first check the chest (and its immediate surroundings) for traps , before working on the lock with effortless expertise