While Serge and Yorad find themselves at loggerheads on how to proceed - Yorad advocating blending in with the clientele by indulging in drink and Serge more inclined to simply look around or find a server and perhaps follow them - Jan manages to find what he's pretty sure is the entrance to the wine cellar. He hurries over to share this with his two companions, idly wondering where the rest of the group has gotten off to...
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Meredith heads down to the bar, takes a deep, cold glass of water and loads a tray full of booze.
"Jin. Tonic. Rum. Ale. Come on and wet your whistle. Only the finest of drinks, here." She calls out to the various betting tables. "Of course if you want some of the best wine in Golarion, that's on special order."
As Meredith talks to customers, she tries to nudge them towards ordering wine. No one can blame her for asking where the good stuff is if a customer demands it, right?
Denair, curious as usual, sees all these "civilized folk" flittering about- it reminds her days at the Court. She loved hiding and complimenting those who noticed her. It was a fun game, and sometimes she would notice hidden creatures as well.
"Uh.. hi Yorad!" Denair pops up from... somewhere to meet them. "I was in the kitchen and I saw some stairs going down. Maybe the wine cellar is in there?"
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Frankie smiles as he starts stuffing cookies in his face, nodding along to the woman's questions. All of a sudden though his face goes blank with fright as he sees a guard out through the kitchen door. He points the man with the blonde mustache out to the woman "That... that man brought me in here then tried to... he tried to kiss me so I ran away and hid!"
Frankie tells a smooth lie, or little fib or as he likes to think, when the time is right. Apparently the time here wasn't so right.
He tries to duck and hide before this woman gets ahold of him, scooting towards where Denny went!
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Jan thinks Serge might have a good idea.
"You know Yorad... you are the thief...er' I mean scout of the group. It might be best to see if you could work your way in there. Too bad we don't have a potion of invisibility or something similar to improve your chances of getting in undetected."
Jan, who is obviously very proud of his arcane-stealth idea then realizes that Lazarus might be able to cast the necessary spell to make this reconnaissance operation much easier.
"Now where is that damn Samaran when you need him?"
Looking for Lazarus
Though most of the clientele seem happy enough with the various spirits you've already got on your tray, you finally luck out as you pass by one of the roulette tables.
"'Ey, lass!" calls out a halfling, dressed like the world's least-intimidating pirate. "Best wine in Golarion, ye say? Hells, I'm feelin' lucky, so why not? A bottle of yer finest red for me an' my First Mate here!"
He gestures to the ape that sits in the seat next to him at the table, wearing a top hat and monocle.
The chef's expression darkens as you attempt to direct attention away from yourself with a fib. "Now see here, young man," she begins, wagging a finger in his face, "it isn't nice to lie! My brother wouldn't hurt a fly and he's been right here all morning!"
Oops.
"Whatever your story is, this isn't the place for young children," she continues. "Now come along, we'll find somewhere for you to wait until we can find your m-"
The loud crash of plates on the other end of the kitchen causes the chef to look away from you and towards the source of the noise, which is when you make your move and duck out of the kitchen and into the sea of legs in the gambling hall. As you move through the crowd you thankfully spot Denair, Serge, Yorad, and Jan all converged over near the main entrance.
As you make your way along the hallway towards the stairs, you surreptitiously glance into some of the open doorways that you pass. With the staff manager lingering about you don't have the chance to take a closer look but these rooms appear to be quarters for the employees, outfitted with beds and other basic necessities.
When you head down the stairs and into the gambling hall proper you can see Yorad, Jan, and Serge standing near the Palor's main entrance, talking among themselves. As you watch, Denair pops up to join their conversation as well. You know that Meredith is still upstairs and of Frankie, there's no sign.
Whether it's whim or sheer curiosity that prompts you to peer around the base of the staircase, it ultimately pays off. Discretely tucked away in the corner, just a few feet from the bar, sits a door. It could of course be a privy or a supply closet, but the proximity to the bar may mean that it's the wine cellar you've been looking for.
Yorad and Serge are initially confused by Jan's statement that he's found some stairs leading up to the wine cellar. Aren't wine cellars usually down below? As the duo look over to where Jan indicates, they do indeed see some stairs leading up...and as they do, Lazarus comes trotting down said stairs. You see him stop and peer around the corner at the base of the stairs.
Before any of the three men have a chance to approach Lazarus Denair suddenly glides out from underneath a nearby table, reporting on seeing some stairs in the kitchen leading down. A whispered conversation quickly ensues as to the best way to get down there to check it out without raising too much suspicion or notice.
It's about this time that Meredith comes down the stairs as well, wearing an outfit that's a bit more revealing than usual. She takes a brief look around and then heads for the bar, smoothly scooping up a tray of booze and heading out into the crowd to serve drinks; whether she doesn't see her companions or whether she's ignoring them in favor of her ruse is unclear. As she begins delivering drinks, the halfling sailor waves her over to one of the roulette tables. Then, barely audible over the other noise, comes the sound of shattering plates and clattering silverware from the vicinity of the kitchen. Coincidentally, Frankie is nowhere to be seen...
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At the base of the staircase, discretely tucked away in the corner, just a few feet from the bar, Lazarus spots a door. It might be a privy or a supply closet, but the proximity to the bar may mean that it's the wine cellar we're looking for.
If no one's looking, the samsaran opens the door and takes a look at what's behind it.
"Issil, I might have found the entrance to the wine cellar, here at the base of the stairs. I'll let you know."
As no one seems to be paying attention to the discretely placed door Lazarus casually sidles up next to it and cracks it open, finding himself greeted by a cool draft of air as he does. Peering through, he can see a set of smooth stone stairs that are illuminated by lanterns leading down into what does, indeed, seem to be a cellar of sorts.
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If no one's looking, the samsaran opens the door and takes a look at what's behind it.
"Issil, I might have found the entrance to the wine cellar, here at the base of the stairs. I'll let you know."
"Who the heck is Issil?" Meredith snorts. "Nevermind. I have an order to get some fine red wine. Head on down, I'll confirm with the staff."
"Hey Boss, the pirate with the monkey wants the finest red wine we've got. Is the wine cellar... down stairs?" Meredith smiles and pretends to be a pretty airhead.
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Jan learns over and whispers to Serge, "Why don't we send a couple people down those stairs to take a look around? I don't know why are are wasting all this time... like I said earlier, a magical potion seems to be the best way of handling this."
To Yorad, [b]"Let's not wait too long. We might miss our opportunity to get down there without being noticed."
Denair turns around and sees a die with the number 2 facing up. "Huh."
She quickly slides under a table to speak to Frankie. "Did you see the stairs in the kitchen, going down? I think that's the next place to go." She peeks her head out, then pulls it back. "And I think you dropped this?" She hands him the die.
Then she scoots ahead toward the cellar.
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Jan nods to Serge, "Yeah, it doesn't look like that armor was made for sneaking around. One of us should probably go with them in case there is any trouble. Whenever Lazarus decides to join us, let him know I popped downstairs with the others."
All this sneaking around... I just want a good stand-up fight.
Jan proceeds downstairs as quietly as possible to provide some muscle should his friends need it.
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Though it takes some finagling, a flurry of whispers, a bit of magic, and some dice-throwing, all of you are able to more or less reconvene and share what you've learned of the layout of the Weaver's Parlor. While Denair and Frankie report that they noticed a set of stairs heading down from the kitchen, Meredith is able to confirm with the bartender that the wine cellar is indeed accessed through the secluded door behind the stairs that lead up to the second floor.
With this information in hand, it's suggested that perhaps a quick recon approach would work best - just in case. But it's more difficult to plan an approach than one might expect, given all the noise and activity, and ultimately everyone ends up heading down in quick succession. Meredith heads down first, able to simply walk in due to her disguise, while Frankie and Denair slip into the shadows and duck in just behind Meredith. After waiting a few moments, Jan and then Yorad slip open the door and head down. Finally, Lazarus heads down as well - leaving Serge the last to follow since apparently no one is paying any attention to this secluded corner, not even the bartender or the other gambling hall staff.
The wine cellar of the Weaver’s Parlor is cooler and quieter than the bustling floor above. A few lanterns illuminate rows of casks, and a sturdy rack bisects the room, obscuring the western half. The rack extends from floor to ceiling, but does not reach the walls to either side, allowing passage around the rack to the north and south.
From somewhere on the other side of the wall of wine casks, you hear what sounds like whispering and an odd scraping sound of metal against wood.
Denair turns around and waves at Lazarus. "He's right here!" While Meredith gets her equipment issues sorted out, Denair takes a look around.
She freezes, taps everyone's shoulder, and then points towards the wall of wine casks. "Metal against wood... something's whispering."
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With a reproachful, white-eyed stare at the noisy paladin, Lazarus whispers, "From somewhere on the other side of this wall of wine casks, I hear what sounds like whispering and an odd scraping sound of metal against wood."
The samsaran hands Meredith her gear, bundled up in her cloak. Finally, he removes a pair of long silk stockings from one pocket of his robes and a satiny undergarment from another. "There, I think that's everything."
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Denair pleads with Meredith until she gets some Mage Armor. "Hey boss! Can you give me some armor? I wanna check out the crack in the wall."
"Wait... why don't I just add some magic armor?" Meredith taps herself with the wand. "I don't have time to change, anyway." She absentmindedly twirls the tail on her outfit.
Denair gets closer to the wine to investigate the source of the noise.
Not too many places to hide, but she decides to be quiet, at least.
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For being a little fella that's easily distracted, Frankie notices things really well sometimes.. like right now as he, and others point out the whispering and scraping coming from behind the wall of barrels. Frankie quickly jumps into hide and seek action!
He scoots behind the barrels to have a look see! You can't escape the Flash that easily mortal!
Trap Spotter (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she can attempt an immediate Perception check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the GM.
Meredith quickly conjures some magical armor for herself and Denair while Jan and Serge ready their weapons for who or whatever might be waiting on the other side of the wall-o-casks. Frankie and Denair take point first, both of them easily slipping into the shadows and scooting around opposite sides of the wall to see what lies beyond...
Both of you see a trio of people, two men and one woman, each of them standing balanced atop upright casks of wine. Both of the men are dressed in what appears to be studded leather armor and are carrying shortswords, while the woman is dressed in simple robes. All of them have drills in their hands and they seem to be working to drill holes into the ceiling of the wine cellar...and into the gambling hall above. The two of you also notice, laying on the ground nearby, three crudely fashioned periscopes.
"This was the best idea you've had yet Drea," one of the men whispers as they work. "They'll never suspect a thing!"
The woman chuckles as she works. "I told you it would, Cobrin. When has a plan of mine ever failed?"
Denair sees something, and she can't help herself. Curiosity overtakes her.
"Oh, hi up there!" She waves to the top of the cellar. "If you want to go upstairs, you can just walk up the staircase! This might take a while."
All three of the individuals shriek and very nearly jump out of their skins when Denair and Frankie cheerfully pop out to say hello! One of the men even drops his drill, which makes a loud clattering sound on the stone floor. Meanwhile, the rest of you on the other side of the wall-o-casks hear Frankie and Denair start speaking, several startled voices yelp in unison, and the clatter of metal of stone. When you peek around, you see a trio of people, two men and one woman, each of them standing balanced atop upright casks of wine. Both of the men are dressed in what appears to be studded leather armor and are carrying shortswords, while the woman is dressed in simple robes. The woman and one of the men have drills in their hands. Laying on the ground nearby are three crudely fashioned periscopes.
One of the men is the first to speak, stammering out, "Wha, uh, we ain't spying at all! We're just here to, um, do some repair work on the floor!"
This guy is a lying liar that lies.
"Shut it, Kevrit," snaps the woman, who seems to have regained her composure somewhat. She smiles at Frankie. "Yes dear, we were just playing a spying game of sorts."
This is...kinda true but kinda false, too.
"Did you and your..." her eyes flicker to Denair, her smile faltering a bit, "...friend there, get lost? Or were you playing a game, too?"
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"Yeah, we're really good at it." She points at the man. "And I know you're not repairing the ceiling. So whatcha spying on?"
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Serge stomps around the wall as he hears the conversation. "Frankie, stay back from these lying thieves." Serge tries to put himself between the 'kid' and the drillers, his greatsword held out. "What did you mean to do with that drill? Listen to my companion here, and come clean, or he may decide to pick up the drill himself and show you how you should use it."
Though both of the men curse with surprise as Serge, Jan, and Lazarus all make their presence known the woman sighs as though she'd expected this.
"I knew it, when I saw the eidolon, I knew there had to be more of you around here somewhere," she replies slowly, careful to keep her hands visible. "Since it's obvious that you're not going to just pretend that you didn't see anything, I'll let you in on our plan."
She gestures towards her two companions. "Cobrin and Kevrit and myself arrived with some other associates, who are currently upstairs enjoying the games. I'm sure that you noticed that no one is paying attention to the entrance to this wine cellar, yes? Of course you did, seeing as all of you were able to waltz down here just the same as us."
"The idea is this: we drill our little holes in the ceiling here, which is conveniently underneath several of the tables upstairs. We play a little game of 'I Spy' with our periscopes," she smiles slightly at Frankie, "and communicate what we see to our friends upstairs by way of magic. They play their hands accordingly and everyone wins - and by everyone I mean us."
One of the two men - not Kevrit but Cobrin - shuffles his feet and coughs. "Look. Seems to me we're all somewheres we aren't technically supposed to be," he points out. "Even I know that you all didn't happen to just wander down here by accident. Why don't we all just agree to...go on about our business and forget we saw each other here?"
"Well said, Cobrin," the woman nods and then turns her gaze back to you, expectant.