Hisao shrugs If we were to find evil then we have found it yes?
We're here to find proof that The Witch of Eye is plotting against King Henry VI.
. . . . We have no means at present to identify this. Perhaps later we can employ an Augury or other means of Divination but for now, I vote we ignore it.
It doesn't seem to be threatening anything as it is; in fact, it's just been sitting here, probably untouched, for a long time. (The kids have known about it sitting here untouched.)
I vote we continue forward to look for evidence against Margiery Jourdemaine and perhaps Roger Bolingbroke whose home this is. It's not as if we're leaving an enemy behind us and tampering with it without knowledge is foolhardy.
What say the rest of you?
. . . . Any plans on how to sneak around Bolingbroke's home to look for evidence?
I follow the children up. See what is up stairs and report back
Keeping in mind what they know of the traps around the place Hisao makes sure to follow the steps of the children exactly confident that there wouldn't be traps there and heads there.
I'll follow him...in case he gets into trouble.....I'll stay back a bit though
The invisible Hisao, followed close behind by the nearly-so Paddy, who alone with his god-given tunic of eyes can see the ninja, trails the children like an unseen ghost and its shadow....
They lead the stealthy adventurers into a finely-appointed foyer with rich tapestries hung on the walls, and from there, ascend one of a pair of flanking stairs ascending to a balcony, where a serving woman sweeps with a broom....
Hisao strolls past the serving woman and continues shadowing the children pretty confident in his god given ring
The children open an upstairs room and enter....
It seems to be a salon or parlor where a pair of bards play a duet on pipe and lute. A bronze censor suspended by a chain from a hook in the ceiling releases wafts of sweet smelling smoke. The walls are covered with rich tapestries depicting hunting scenes. At a table, a burly gentleman with goatee and mustache in fine silks is playing cards with a pretty, finely-dressed lady....
The gentleman sees the children enter and scowls at them.
Mary and Thomas! I believe I told you to go play elsewhere while father entertains his guest!
The two children freeze in their tracks.
Thomas: Sorry, father!
Mary: Please don't be cross, father! We were playing in the cellar, but....
Thomas nudges Mary hard....
Thomas: We'll go play in the hedge maze, won't we, Mary!?
Mary: Uh.... Yes....
The children bow to Bolingbroke and his lady guest, and hurry back out of the room....
They are adorable, Roger!
The lady smiles at the departing children....
Yes.... Adorable little pests....
The gentleman grins at the pretty lady....
Hisao retreats back down to the foyer.
Whispers:
Shall we sleuth throughout the house looking or just prepare an ambush and kill Margery Jourdemaine -- guessing we'll find the evidence here somewhere?
And what about Roger Bolingbroke? ...Sir Alphonse, if we can get you close enough, can you divine any evil aura he possesses? How close must you get, within 60 feet, yes?
I would prefer if we find a way to do this as quietly as possible; there are innocent bystanders about: the children for one and almost certainly other servants.
If we kill the Witch ere today we must be certain to also calm witnesses enough for us to explain to them she's plotting against King Henry and Humphrey knows about us.
"Yes, I must be fairly close. But I can do it from across this room easily enough."
Well, if we take her down here quickly, t=here is no one else around...the children have gone off to play and we haven't seen any servants. I hope she does something stupid and Bollingbroke realizes she is evil.
Whispers:
I would prefer if we find a way to do this as quietly as possible
still whispering:
I have two applications of Disguise Self; I could take on the appearance of someone, say, Eleanor Cobham maybe -- and lure her down here for an ambush.
Any ideas on how to get the normally not-tremendously-quiet Sir Alphonse close to Roger Bolingbroke for his Divination of Evil?
Or, I also have an elixir that will allow me to see the true moral alignment of a person -- I could use it near Roger Bolingbroke.
Ooh, eureka!, if I can get a good look at one of the butlers or servants we can forge a letter from Eleanor Cobham to Margery Jourdemaine requesting an immediate and private meeting with the Witch in the basement -- something about evidence that Roger Bolingbroke is going to betray Jourdemaine. The Witch must come alone.
The butler or whomever will deliver the letter to Margery Jourdemaine and not have to bluff her way through a conversation. ....The Witch reads the letter and comes down here alone.
By then Hisao should be done with his "business" with the maid and he can, if he has any energy left, help us take out the Witch of Eye.
EDIT: still whispering
Hisao retreats back down to the foyer.
[dice=Stealth]1d20+33
[dice=Per]1d20+9
Nacht ventures off in another direction: into a downstairs cloak room, creeping silently and unseen by the passively alert maid dusting tapestries in the foyer....
The cloak room door opens quietly and admits The Beetle Man into a 10-foot-square-by-10-foot-high cloak room, the walls covered with various colors, sizes, and styles of cloaks, capes, and coats.... Slipping inside and closing the door silently behind him, Nacht enters the cloak room without drawing the notice of the maid....
Nacht finds wonderment in the various cloaks and garments this being had. Did it slay all its prey and string them up in such a manner. Perhaps he could find more for himself?
Hisao creeps up behind the maid stealthily
and tries to grab the unsuspecting woman putting his hand over her mouth
even deftly tying up her arms so that she won't drop her duster and tries to drag her down the stairs
Hisao succeeds in abducting the maid, who trembles with fear....
Nacht finds wonderment in the various cloaks and garments this being had. Did it slay all its prey and string them up in such a manner. Perhaps he could find more for himself?
There is nothing unusual or noteworthy about most of the garments here, though Nacht might find them all curiously interesting from his lack of familiarity with even the most commonplace artifacts of human society, but sewn into the hem of a short green cape are 12 platinum coins of an ancient mint unknown to Nacht, and in an inner pocket of a red velvet coat, he discovers a fire opal of exquisite cut that seems to be faintly luminous from within....
Nacht found each to be quite fascinating, the coins he knew were worth currency up hear and that these beings valued such. The rock shined and clearly was something of note. he deftly extracted each item. He made sure to pocket the opal in the deepest recesses of his cloak as to shade the light.
Hisao ties up the maid securely with rope making sure to gag her tightly and leave her propped up as comfortably as possible against a pillar that he secures her to away from the stairs and the coffin. Then he says to the others Master of the house entertains a lady who seems important upstairs. The way there is clear. However, sound carries easily
After securing all the gem-like objects Nacht will explore some more.
Paddy nods in acknowledgement of Hisao's report.
That must be the one we're looking for.
Paddy whispers to the maid.
Do not fret...we will not harm you. The lady your master is with..is she Margiery Jourdemaine? Just nod yes or no.
The maid nods, tears in her eyes....
Well, that helps us a lot, my dear. Everything will be all right. Don't be afraid....we will not harm you.
Paddy turns to the rest of the group.
Well, that helps...any thoughts? If its just those two, we should go soon. Catch her unawares.
Hisao shrugs Is she the more powerful one? Perhaps you and I can charge her before she is aware and the rest can come in then. Perhaps Alphonse can stay at the bottom of the stairs and then come up when he hears shouts?
.
Perhaps my plan of disguising myself as this maid, then bringing a forged letter to Jourdemayne from Eleanor Cobham requesting an immediate audience with Jourdemayne alone, is the best plan.
.
To the Maid:
Good woman, we are here not to harm but to help. We serve the Crown and were instructed to find out any evil that may be in this house and eliminate it. You know of the horror of Conflagratious down in Italy -- unfortunately it may have spread here.
But by Saint George and the good Gods of Norway, we will fight the evil!
Please accept our sincere apology for taking you in such a manner but it is necessary. I promise, lady, that we will not hold you longer than is necessary and no harm will come to you.
.
To Alphonse Veritas (whispering, away from the maid):
Sir, could you detect for a taint of evil on her, just in case she is not what she appears?
.
Back to the Maid:
Can you tell us, is it the midwife, Margery Jourdemayne here with your master, today?
Alphonse breaks his long silence, having not had much to contribute lately.
He nods at Iommi's request, and acquiesces.
.
Perhaps my plan of disguising myself as this maid, then bringing a forged letter to Jourdemayne from Eleanor Cobham requesting an immediate audience with Jourdemayne alone, is the best plan.
.To the Maid:
Good woman, we are here not to harm but to help. We serve the Crown and were instructed to find out any evil that may be in this house and eliminate it. You know of the horror of Conflagratious down in Italy -- unfortunately it may have spread here.But by Saint George and the good Gods of Norway, we will fight the evil!
Please accept our sincere apology for taking you in such a manner but it is necessary. I promise, lady, that we will not hold you longer than is necessary and no harm will come to you.
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20+12.
To Alphonse Veritas (whispering, away from the maid):
Sir, could you detect for a taint of evil on her, just in case she is not what she appears?.
Back to the Maid:
Can you tell us, is it the midwife, Margery Jourdemayne here with your master, today?
The maid seems to visibly calm down, and nods at Iommi-Tyr....
Alphonse breaks his long silence, having not had much to contribute lately.
He nods at Iommi's request, and acquiesces.
Alphonse searches the maid's heart, and finds no evil there....
As Nacht continues a stealthy search around the manor, he finds a round tower in the northeast corner, in which a stone spiral staircase ascends to upper floors....
Silently creeping up the spiral stair, he reaches a circular chamber on the second floor where a pair of chain mail-clad halberdiers stand guard....
They block further progress up the spiral stairs, which continue up to a third and perhaps higher floors....
"She is clean of Evil's taint." Alphonse says.
If she detects you as false you will be alone and facing two conspirators. Why create extra ruse when we can strike while they are unaware?
Nacht found the place wondrous, so many soft and armored beings, so easily sneaked by and inspected. One had a particular quirk as it spoke to the other, its eye would twitch and hands move. The language Nacht noting called 'English'.
The current two stood in its way, and it was curious what lead to the top. Likely the Paddy-being was doing similar.
Nacht would move further up but if they seemed to catch on... well.. The enemy was here so; Collateral damage wouldnt be unexpected.
"We should still look for proof of the Duchess' involvement before we strike. It would be unseemly were we to have been misled, or kill the evil wench and be thrown in the Tower for high treason because we cannot prove our claims."
My main concern about the kick-down-the-door plan is that we don't know, I don't think, whether Roger Bolingbroke is evil and part of the conspiracy.
I mean, he may be but I'd hate to have broken into his home and murdered him if he was just under a Charm or being manipulated or blackmailed. ....Remember the Wererats? They were just being manipulated. --And this guy is a minor noble, not a monster under the streets!
The other major concern is that there may be other innocent bystanders -- butlers and cooks and such that get in the way, or even House Guards who charge in after us to defend their master -- they will not likely be evil, just like the maid Hisao "brought" down here is not evil.
--What if the children come inside while we're slaughtering people in the dining hall?!
My vote is still to try to get Margiery Jourdemayne down here quietly, execute her, and then go confront Bolingbroke and see if that turns into a fight. We can kill the Witch quietly and then get proof from in the house, starting by talking to Roger Bolingbroke.
But if I'm out-voted, I have no problem joining a charge.