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Damn, now what are we gonna do? "An' aye can look ovah any o' yur weapons 'n' armor, if ya like," Rumble adds, trying to contribute where he can. "An' mebby speak to ya guards abou' weak points in yer defenses an' tha like. Imma proud worshippuh o' ya see an' ih would be mah pleasuh," he continues to explain, going a little flush in the face with the intensity of his outburst. Those bodyguards are likely to be my kind of people anyways. I'll leave the quill fiddling, eye squinting, and finger wiggling to the quill fiddlers, eye squinters, and finger wigglers.
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Paio Laoshi pauses, her expression thoughtful in the wake of Zithembe's well-reasoned supplication and Hepsubia's follow-up. "Well, that's certainly a different way of putting it - and yes, you are correct. Even though you may not be applying to join our school, you still came here to learn and that does indeed make all of you students."
With a clap of her hands, she nods. "Very well! Since we currently have no other students or merchants staying with us and don't anticipate any for some weeks, you may make use of the guesthouse for as long as you wish to remain here and study our artifacts and displays. And don't worry; I will make sure that the other instructors and our guards know that you have permission to remain on school grounds."
And now that you have permission to make use of the school's guesthouse, you have more time to consider your objective - how to acquire the original map that you've been tasked to retrieve. With offers to buy - or even just borrow - the map proving unsuccessful it seems more and more likely that you might have to resort to more underhanded means...
While some of the group's deeper thinkers mull over how best to proceed, Zheng ambles over and taps Rumble on the shoulder.
"Toerag?" he asks, giving the dwarf a questioning look.
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Maria smiles and nods at her allies, approving of their excellent rhetoric.
Once back in the guesthouses away from prying eyes, the elf motions for Hepsubia to join her as she does a quick check of the perimeter. "We should make sure there aren't any spying devices in here, can one of you more magically inclined look for items of that nature? Call it paranoia or just prudence, while you do that Hep and I will check the perimeter for more traditional methods."
while chatting with Hep quietly.
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"Well, sorta, buh ya goh ih a little off. Ih's gotta come from tha' gut, like ah bellow in ah forge, ya see," he explains. "Ih's nah Torag, but," Rumble takes a moment to inhale deeply, " Clearly pleased with himself, the Dwarf lets the silence sit for a brief moment, savoring the pronouncement of his mighty god's name yet again. "Wha' of 'im?" he asks Zheng, finally.
Rumble takes several minutes to walk through the compound, doing his best to assess the defensibility of the structure, making himself at home, and selecting the comfiest sleeping area that is also closest to the ground.
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"Who?" Zheng asks, giving Rumble a rather pointed look. Then, if that isn't enough, he finally adds, "What?"
And it hits Rumble that the man seems curious to learn more about Torag.
Having been given permission to stay, the majority of you make your way across the courtyard to the guesthouse and swiftly set about examining your new lodgings and the building's perimeter. The inside is just as Jianghong described - a simple but functional dining area and three private rooms. And a thorough search of the area, including for magical auras, fails to turn up anything out of the ordinary.
Seems that the school is quite trusting of their guests.
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"Wha' do yah mean 'wha''?" Rumble responds, aghast at his apparent ignorance. "He is tha' Father o' Creation, God o' tha forge, protection, an' stratehgy," he explains while pulling out his, admittedly shoddy, copy of the Hammer and Tongs. "Do ya read Taldan or Dwarven? Ih's yours if ya wan' ih," he offers, holy text outstretched. "Aye reckon Ahqueros ih tha mos' ohvious choice fur a boadyguard, buh tha Father 'as got 'is say on tha' too."
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Oh good, I'm glad someone else is thinking practically about things... I wonder how practically though... are they ready to kill for the map? I wonder how they are at lying too... I'm terrible at it, and now that everyone here knows we're interested in the map they'll definitely question us if it disappears... I better keep listening and see if they have any kind of plan...
Despite already being fairly certain that there are no spying devices or other dangers around, Sylvak keeps up the pretense of searching so that he can continue to listen to his two more pragmatic companions' conversation.
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Hepsubia whispers back
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Maria's eyes go wide and she stops whispering, her voice clearly heard throughout the house, "what? That's insane! We have no cause to destroy property and what if someone got hurt!!! These people aren't monsters or even evil, just pampered nobility!"
She takes a deep breath and continues with less alarm, "okay, that aside, why do we have to act tonight? We've been given permission to stay and copy the map. Even if we act to steal from those who stole the map, it makes no sense to do it without learning as much as we can."
Though frowning slightly, Zheng takes the offered book and flips through a few of the well-worn pages.
"Some," he replies to Rumble's question. "Jianghong...knows more. Maybe we will read it together. It might be...good for him. And for me," the bodyguard continues; apparently he's a man of few words by choice rather than necessity.
Satisfied, he gives Rumble a bow.
"Thank you."
And then heads off to catch up with his charge.
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As you work to thoroughly explore and search the guesthouse and surrounding grounds - as well as plot your next move - the late afternoon sun slowly makes its' descent towards the horizon. The shadows grow longer and twilight begins to fall; outside students and teachers bustle about as the classrooms are closed up for the day and people begin heading off to their evening meals.
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Alright, sounds like Hep's the only one willing to get her hands dirty at all... and at this rate it'll be a miracle if we don't get arrested for conspiracy before we ever even try to steal the blasted thing...
"Umm, perhaps we could all keep it down?" Sylvak asks with a hint of reproach. "I know we're divided on how to proceed, but I think we can all agree that we don't want to attract a lot of unnecessary attention if we can avoid it, right? How about this... those of you who are hoping for a chance to view and copy the original, through some friendly means, get some sleep so you can resume that activity in the morning; anyone who thinks they might be able bribe or seduce, or otherwise sway, a guard to gain access to the map, go get started; I'll do a little scouting and see if I can confirm where the map might be?"
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Awkwardly, Rumble returns the bow, clearly unsure how far he is supposed to go. That kid is in good hands...
Invigorated after his enlightening little chat with Zheng, Rumble pushes through what passes as the door. "Aye'm off tah find some grub an' then catch some shut eye!" he declares as he swiftly stows his belongings at his bunk and heads back outside. I wonder if the pubs around here serve any good brews. A hearty stew would finish off a wonderful evening and then we could get going on that map in the morning!
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While the rest of the group begins to hammer out something of a plan thanks to Sylvak, Rumble pops in only long enough to stow his belongings and then promptly heads back out again in search of some local grub. He notices that the majority of the crowd outside (consisting of students and staff) seem to be gravitating towards a large building situated a short distance away from the central courtyard. Reasoning that that's the best place to best fill his empty belly, he begins making his way in that direction.
However, as he strolls past the main hall he happens to glance up and something catches his attention. The building is dark and quiet but he spots what looks like the faint glow of light, as though from a candle, emanating from the windows on the second floor and moving from room to room.
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Rumble scowls a little at the light before moving towards the building. No good can come from a candle in the dark. You don't clean in the dark and anyone of the teachers would probably use a torch! Just in case, he straps his shield to his arm before doubling back to his lodgings. "'EY! Pathfinduhs, somthin's goin' on ah tha' main 'all. Aye thin' aye saw a candle ligh' an' thin' someone could be creepin' 'round. Ima check it out," he explains before jogging back to the main hall.
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Maria snorts awake, "what who where ack!" Eyes quickly adjusting to the light from the doorway she sits up, pulling her mussed hair back into a quick and dirty ponytail and grabs her bow, slinging it over her back. "aaaa... *yawn* ...aalright I'm ready, let's go check it out."
She follows the group out the door, rubbing her eyes.
No sooner has Maria stretched out and closed her eyes, than Rumble comes busting back into the guesthouse with news of shenanigans afoot over at the main hall! While the rest of the group scrambles to attention, Rumble hustles back across the courtyard to the front doors of the main hall. To his surprise, a quick check reveals that they don't seem to be locked - and there's no indications of forced entry, either. As he looks around, it also becomes apparent that there's not a guard in sight.
While Rumble investigates the front doors, Sylvak races around towards the back of the building in an attempt to cut off any potential escape. Now that he knows what to look for, he too sees the faint light moving around on the second floor. Whoever or whatever's inside, they don't seem to be aware that they've been spotted yet...
Bidding Rumble to bide his time for a moment, Maria slips into the shadows and glides through the doors into the main hall. The exhibit area on the ground floor is dark and quiet, appearing just as the group had left it earlier. After a quick perusal Maria is satisfied that this floor of the building is clear and so stealthily makes her way up the stairs to the second floor.
As Maria reaches the top of the stairs she can see that a long hallway looms before her, with six doors leading off of it - three on each side. While all of the doors appear closed, she can just barely make out a faint glow coming from underneath the very last door on the left, down at the far end of the hallway...
As Zithembe trails along behind the others, Hepsubia slips into the shadows and disappears from sight. Inside the main hall, Maria creeps closer to the door at the end of the hall. As she reaches it, she can clearly see the glow of a small light - probably that of a candle - emanating from underneath the door. However, as she gently reaches out to test the door she finds that it appears to be locked.
Outside, Sylvak attempts to stealthily scale the building only to find that the decorative supports are more slippery than expected. He's forced to drop back down to the ground with a soft *thwomp*...but after a slight pause it doesn't seem as if his struggles have alerted whoever's rummaging around on the second floor.
Rumble dutifully waits outside, ready to clobber the first unknown person that comes out through the front door. Inside, Maria finds herself stymied by the locked door in front of her and falls back to the door across the hall - when she checks it, this one isn't locked.
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While Maria slips into the office across the hall and gently pulls the door mostly closed, Sylvak tries once more to climb up towards the roof of the main hall. This time, he's able to catch one of the support beams and - with a lot of effort - pull himself up onto the lower part of the roof. Hoping that he's not alerted whoever might be lurking about, he edges toward the illumined window to get a better look...
The window through which you peer is open to the air and the orange silk curtains flutter slightly in the evening breeze. The inside of this office is cluttered with calligraphy samples, brushes, and inkstones across every flat surface except a low table in the center of the room. Upon the table sits a small candle, burning softly in a holder, and hunched over the table is a figure dressed in yellow robes. Their back is to the window and they seem to be in the process of rolling something up and stuffing it into the pocket of their robes.
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The figure hunched over the table is so engrossed in the theft they appear to be committing that they have no idea that anyone's come upon them until you plant your sword in the middle of their back! With a startled cry and a gurgle, the figure collapses to the floor. As they do, you get a better look at their face...and to your surprise (and possible horror) you realize that it's Jianghong!
Blood begins to pool around his still form but the shuddering rise and fall of his chest reveals that he's not dead - yet.
From her hiding position in the office across the hall, Maria suddenly hears a startled cry of pain and then a *thud* come from within the locked office!
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As Rumble dutifully waits...and waits a little more...for something to happen, something finally does - the sound of footsteps grows closer and then Rumble sees Zheng come around the corner from the direction of the dining hall. The large, taciturn guard looks both irritated and a little worried. When he spots Rumble, he hurries over.
"Jianghong? Have you seen him?" he asks.
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"Tha boy? Aye cannae say aye 'ave. Though aye 'ave seen someone creepin' 'bouh tha hall an' some oh mah friends ah checkin' ih ou'. Aye reckon there'll be some sorta action if ya wanta join us!" Rumble offers to his silent walking buddy. This'll be great! We can both clobber the lout if they make a run for it!
Alarmed by the sounds from within the office Maria tries to shoulder the door open but it's stronger than it looks and the elven woman simply bounces off of it.
Meanwhile, outside, Zheng's eyes widen as Rumble casually informs him of someone creeping around in the Main Hall but as he opens his mouth to speak, all of you suddenly hear Maria's voice - faint but still audible - cry out for help from somewhere inside!
And of course Sylvak hears it as well from the other side of the locked office door...