MoF's Hells Rebels

Game Master MordredofFairy

It means 'sorry I splashed you with the love potion!' Tough now you also have a small yellow flower to do what you want with :P

"Oh, okay!" Miranda replied. It doesn't *look* like it wasn't a big deal - she looks devastated! She didn't even need her new magnifying glass to see that! Though, thinking back on her own week, that devastation felt awfully familiar... She wrinkles her nose a little when the poultice comes out, but she was glad to see that Lily got some medicine. Even if it was smelly. Very smelly.

Edit as I was so slow typing that Aldous sneaked in before me :P

"So they are just shovelling people inside that warehouse? That's horrible! Though I can't help but wonder if that building too is connected to old Kintago, since it just by the harbour sneaking up the sewers should be easy ..." Miranda offered, though she was obviously not really looking forward to meeting the sewers so soon again (or ever again in fact!).

The couple of days Nissim had planned for work stretched into a full week. He could find no good time to take a morning or an afternoon away to go see Veruzhan in the days that followed.

After meeting with the group Nissim listens to the others tell of their various activities since they last saw each other, but he has nothing to offer himself.

He listens to Boros discuss the seizure of the gunpowder and guns with particular interest although considering the advantages they have in numbers, resources, and intelligence, I'm not sure why some guns would be the decisive advantage. Still, Boros knows their capabilities better than I

"Gunpower is an alchemical substance. It must be possible to render it inert, like any other such compound. If it cannot be recovered by us, maybe it can be ruined for them. I will do some research on this."

Nissim is also alarmed by the suggestion from Aldous that they try a prison break. "I understand the urgency one feels for freeing the people held there. But, it is an extremely audacious move to try to free them. It also is a move directly against Thrune's regime itself. It may be more than we can manage at this time. Even if we did, it might invite more attention than we can afford. I am not convinced this is the best course for us right now."

Lily winces and pulls away from the foul-smelling concoction, arching herself away, but still winds up smeared with it, and then continues to listen quietly. "We don't really have anywhere for them to go, either. And if they just go home, they'll risk their families."

"I disagree. If we ever mean to free these prisoners, the time to do it is now. Whatever warehouse they've chosen isn't meant to hold prisoners, and will have weaknesses. If the Dottari decide to kill the prisoners or move to a more secure facility, we will have lost our chance." Varuzhan considered for a moment his own failed rebellion against the Strix authorities. Could he really be meaning to attempt another coup against these human authorities?

"You say that we have nowhere for the prisoners to go? That's the wrong way to see it. These prisoners are not helpless mewlings. They are brothers and sisters in arms. Potential allies that now have a grudge against the State. When we saw Rexus being beaten, we could have walked right past. The Dottari expected that. They expected us to roll over. Instead, we fought to free Rexus, and by the grace of the Ancestors we won. We strangers united against a common enemy. Don't we owe these prisoners the same? At the very least, we should scout the Dottari's defenses. And if those defenses are lax, we must strike." Varuzhan looked to Aldolus, knowing he would agree. He then looked to the others to see if there was really hope for this lot to do something useful.

Hearing Nissim mention ruining the Hellknights' powder stores draws a reflexive wince from Boros, and his expression makes it clear that he really doesn't favor that idea. Nonetheless, he feels compelled to add his knowledge on the subject. "Eh, I'd rather we not ruin all that lovely, useful powder. But if we must, it's worthless when wet and reacts violently when exposed to fire. So soakin' or burnin' will do the job." The thought of destroying that powder has Boros quite unhappy, yet he manages a faint chuckle as he adds, "If we use fire, best we do so from a distance and be prepared to run fast for sturdy shelter beforehand."

With a shake of his head, Boros is about to address the other points raised by Nissim and Lily when Varuzahn cuts in with his impassioned speech. Barely resisting the urge to clap--which he feels the strix might take in the wrong way--the gunslinger adds his support to Varuzhan's argument, albeit in a rather calmer manner. "Aye, if we sit around waitin' for the 'right time' or 'best conditions', then we might as well just admit that we're doin' naught, duck our heads like all the rest as are too scared to act--not without reason, I'll grant--and watch it all happen."

Jabbing the map firmly with his finger, he continues. "But Nissim, and Lily especially, raise good points. If we do this, we need to make sure we have at least some place secure to stack these folks, with what they'll need to live on. And we need that before it becomes an issue, not after. So a place to hide, or better, two or even three such places. Food, medicines, equipment." This last is added with particular emphasis. "Rebellions don't work out too well when its rocks and clubs against swords and plate. And guns," Boros concludes half under his breath with a sour expression.

Aldous' eyebrow raises in surprise as the strix speaks. The barrister had always assumed that such creatures would be brutish at best, a step below even halflings in terms of reasoning and enlightenment. But this one at least was obviously bright. Clearing his throat, Aldous pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.

"Yes. Varuzhan has the logistical and ethical gist of it. The soldier as well. My concern is simply that of morality, as I know little of logistics. People will die in there, more and more each hour that we dither, gripped with fear. And I intend to do what I can to avoid that. But, Boros and Lily are correct. Anyone rescued would by their very nature be a fugitive, and their families would be in danger. Does anyone know of a place that they could be hidden? The sewers, perhaps? Then, we could work at smuggling them out of the city."

Aldous looks pointedly at Rexus as he finishes his statement."Aboard a boat, perhaps?"

"And don't forget that our lives would be in danger as well. Any recon that could be done ahead of time would only be to our advantage."

Miranda winces as the conversation circles back to the sewers. "I don't think you can keep people down there for too long, unless ... Unless there are more pieces of Old Kintago to be found? If there were an underground school or something I bet we could stuff plenty of people in there!"

It is Miranda's turn to get Aldous' inquisitive - and appreciative - appraisal. "An interesting idea, my dear." Straining back through his memory of cases and coursework, the barrister tries to recall any mention of large abandoned buildings, preferably isolated and underground.

knowledge history: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Nissim takes off his glasses and rubs his temples with his fingers. His expression has soured, but his mouth has a determined set.

"You are presenting a false choice. It is not a matter of breaking into that prison or doing nothing. It is a matter of matching our objectives with our capabilities; finding those things that will be most effective, and that we have some assurance we can succeed at."

"Can we execute the prison break you propose? Maybe, but how do we know? What do we know about it now? You say that if we don't break the prisoners there out, people will die. That is almost certainly true. You talk about it though as if should we try, we will succeed. That is a mistake. It is very likely that if we try, we we fail. We will die, or join them, and people will die, just as before. We cannot make our decisions based on whatever outrages us the most at the moment. If we do, we will accomplish nothing other than running from one place to another, putting out fires. Eventually we will fail, and that will be the end of it. We will achieve nothing."

"Let me ask all of you this right now. What is our aim? What do you want the outcome of this to be? My answer is this: we must remove Barzillai Thrune and his entire apparatus of rule from the city. If we are not already there, this will very soon become a life or death struggle. We can't go half-way. We can't just mitigate damage or suffering. We must win completely. Otherwise it will never end, and we will sooner or later fail."

"Thrune holds every advantage. A misstep by our adversaries might cost them, but they can recover. We are allowed no missteps. If we make one, we die and it is over. That is the lay of the board. So, I say every decision must be based on these criteria: First, does it help us win? Second, can we reasonably expect to do it?"

"If the prison break you suggest can be shown to meet those marks, I have no objection. But I want to know it does meet them first. That book Varuzhan has been studying should be a reminder that we are not the first at this, and those before us all failed. We have to do better."

"I am unsure how I feel about using the sewers at all... given my apparent sickness." Lily says quietly, but then shrugs slightly. "I wouldn't mind helping to look over the area. I won't blend into a crowd as easily as some of us, but if we keep a rotation, we can see who comes and goes... like a log book, but with people. I'm not sure how useful that will be, beyond knowing how many different faces are involved... so numbers." she adds as she pulls her hair over her shoulder and away from the mess on her neck.

"I don't have a better option, but as Nissim says - if we go, people may die as well. We have to do everything right or not at all. If we go now, we'll catch them no more off-guard than if we go a week from now. We'll simply know more. And those who are in dire straits will be better served by our understanding the situation, I think." she finishes, managing to be better swayed by Nissim's appeal to reason than Aldous's passion - she didn't have the energy for passion just now.

Rexus was listening to your argumentations, looking at the map, focused on things only he could see. When talk around the table slows down a bit, with everybody who had something to say having chimed in, he clears his throat, and stands up:"You all are right. Simply looking at this problem from different angles, seeing different facets. That is good. Because it's less likely we will overlook something. And, as was pointed out, mistakes could be lethal."
Pointing at the location of the cafe on the map, he looks at each one in turn, shortly, as he resumes speaking:"This is where we are. It is not by chance that we meet here. As you know, I am a Ship Captain. Miss Longroads has been an associate of mine. To be more specific, she was an accomplice in smuggling things in and out of Kintargo. Smuggling things in made it worthwhile for me to risk my head. And what we smuggled out...were halflings."
Rexus then draws a line with his finger to the sea:"There's an underground tunnel below the cafe. Has not seen use in a long while. I had hoped you may join me in taking a look at it, as it may be a way in or out from the city, now that it is on lockdown. Related to the problem at hand, we could probably hide a number of people down in the tunnel, for a while, if the area is still safe."
He then points at the location Aldous had indicated earlier:"But I have no idea how we would get them from here to the tunnels. We're bound to run into a patrol. And that's assuming we are even able to free them in the first place. And that they cooperate. It's a nice idea to force them into safety, but some may insist to see loved ones or family and let them know of their fate."

Leaning on the table, Rexus then circles the whole area of the warehouse:"It's both true that we need to hurry, and that we need to learn more. We can't go in blind, and we can't go in without a plan. We'd only die doing a noble deed. We can't rush these things if we hope to survive. We need a name for our group, we need masks, we may need alibis and we most definitely need more information..."

@Aldous Knowledge: None Aldous knows of - and it's questionable if such buildings would be structurally sound. If any exist, they would need to be below roads, similar to the Livery, with less weight to carry. But that size of underground object with no caving-in or collapsing probably was the among the largest underground structures one could find.

"A smuggler's tunnel. That'll be valuable indeed. Well, I think we can agree to explore the tunnel first. If we can make sure it's clear, it'll be our lifeline to the outside world. As for a group name . . . perhaps we should pay homage to rebels past. Something like the Silver Phoenix? Rebels rising from the ashes and all."

"Bellflowers...!" Miranda lets out an awed whisper. She fixed Rexus with her bright eyes and amazement was written all over her. THAT'S SO COOL! It took a while for her to realize that the mans mouth was still moving and that words came out of it - words she really should be listening to presumably - and with a fit of blinking the spell was broken. Ah right! Play it cool! What did he say? Let's think back a little ... With a thoughtful look on her face Miranda started digging trough her backpack again, a move that would let her catch up mentally. Also...!

"We could use these to take a look at the warehouse." Miranda suggested and placed her Silver Raven on the table. She carefully pushed the statuette towards the middle of the table - or at least as far as she could. "There's plenty of little kinks we would need to figure out before we could, most importantly perhaps how non-discreet they are, but an aerial vantage and the fact that no-one dies if they are captured should make it worth it!"

"And I like your name-suggestion Varuzhan." She finished up with a nod to her avian friend and then attempted to fish her Silver Raven back to herself with some cutlery. Hmm. I wonder how much work it would be to alter these into another bird ...

Listening to the discussion turn to names for their little group, Boros snorts in amusement and pulls his own little statuette out. "Or, ya know, we could properly honor those that came before if we're making use o' their gear. Call ourselves the Silver Ravens and get on with it?" Running a finger over the sculpted feathers, he does a bit of thinking aloud. "I'll wager they had more undiscovered caches like the one we found, maybe even bases. If we could use that book to get a lead on those, or at least clues to more information, that'd be a great help."

"No... I like it. It has more meaning than simply being the Silver Ravens again. We would still be Kintargo's protectors, but we'd have risen from the ashes of what had come before. Ideas do not die, even if one generation loses its way. It also pays homage to those who died on the square to that monster." she says, as she slowly twirls her finger along the wood grain, not really looking up. "Though I think it's more up to the people to decide what to call us, unless we use calling cards of some sort."

"As for the tunnel, do we know anything else about it? How long has it been in disuse? If we have the option to help the families of the victims get out along with them, then they might not feel so... press-ganged? Is that the term?" she asks.

Rexus nods in confirmation when Miranda voices her awed whisper, but without stopping to talk.

After a short discussion about the naming conventions and some other points brought up, he continuse: "We can still get the name sorted out later, but if we do rescue people, they'll want to know who did it, so we best agree on something until then."

His finger snaps to the 'warehouse' on the map:"So we are in agreement to learn more, first. One person hanging around there repeatedly may be more suspicious than several people trying independently, at different times. I suggest you, each of you, considers if they have some way of helping us with surveillance."

He continues: "Today, we'll check out the tunnel. It's been in disuse for a while, I'm afraid. There's been a flooding, followed by a cave-in, as far as I know. We may have some work ahead of us if we mean to make it into a lifeline to the outside world again. Honestly, most smuggling is easier if you grease a few palms, not use a cave and a blackened rowboat, even if the later is a romantic idea. The area directly below the coffee-house still served as a shelter, but the path outside was sealed. Today, we'll take a look at it, as greasing palms won't do any good with Thrune in power...if anybody wants to quit, now's the time to say so - otherwise we'll head downstairs..."

Basically, a role-call. I know there's Thanksgiving and stuff in the states, so I'll give people a while to sign in again. If you want, you can consider how YOU could contribute to learning more about the Warehouse...do you have some skill, a plan, an idea? We'll not necesarily play it out, I learned that individual scenes take a lot of time, but the general approach would be interesting...good ideas with bad rolls get just as much credit as bland ideas with good rolls, and you will learn more or less about the place depending on overall success

Off of the top of my head, Boros can use his Profession skill to evalute the guards: approximate level of skill in the form of their class level +/- a variable that depends on his check, and/or their general attitude about their task (fanatically stop any breakout efforts, make a token effort then fall back, somewhere in between?), maybe gauge if the guards have any sloppy behavior to take advantage of--patrols not quite as regular as they should be, guards stopping for a chitchat with a passing whore and leaving a section unobserved for time, maybe one guy likes to catch a nap in the earliest hours of the morning, etc. He can also his Knowledge skill to check the building and the tunnel both. The former for weak or reinforced areas that will affect any breakout efforts (such as guards positioned on a poorly-made parapet that only needs a good blast to knock loose...), and the latter for danger areas that need to be shored up before use.

"I know some magical means of surveillance that will give us information of a type that we will not otherwise be able to collect. During the time of their use I will be unable to move about though. I will need an inconspicuous place near there where I can remain motionless for a few minutes as I use them."

NIssim can use Heightened Awareness and Ears of the City to gather information on the prison. He will be blind and deaf during their use though.

Aldous nods, his face grim. "We can scout the area out, see if there's a building nearby that would be suitable. Either somewhere really busy, like a tavern - you could just be 'passed out' or something like that - or somewhere abandoned would do the trick."

knowledge local to discern of any suitable buildings nearby: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

"As for me, I plan on walking in the front door. If this warehouse is a black site, it will be extra-legal, or legal in only the most obscure sense. Your average door-guard won't know the intricacies of the situation he or she's employed in."

"I know someone likely being kept at that warehouse. I will knock on the door, explain that I am her lawyer, and badger and belligerate my way inside, until I'm either thrown out the front door or into a cell - in which case, I suppose it will be obvious when I don't return."

Varuzhan is excited as everyone volunteers for the scouting mission. "I can scout the area at night. It's when I'm normally awake anyway and when I see best."

Varuzhan has a high perception at night. Simple but hopefully useful.

-Posted with Wayfinder

"I can... I guess I could blend in, or stand out." Lily offers with a shrug. "I'm not particularly skilled in any way a normal person wouldn't be. I go for walks, I sing and talk. I enjoy cooking - I could likely fit in with ease at the docks simply selling foods that I cook nearby - or even here. I could easily make coin and possibly even make friends with some of the guards - surely they're not all terrible people. As the Barrister says, it's much more likely they don't even know what they're hired for, perhaps?"

Quitting hadn't really been something she'd considered until he'd pressed for it. It had simply felt like the right thing to do to see things through to the end - no, she'd instead focused on how her decisions could affect those who were close to her, not directly herself. Her fingers played with the wood grain of the table as she didn't bother to look up, waiting for the others to lead the way down, first.

"Hmm." Miranda frowned, thinking hard about how to best gleam the warehouses secrets. She listened carefully to the others plans to draw inspiration and eventually she lit up. "I think I will dress in rags and see if I can't find something in the trash. No-one seems to mind another halfling or tiefling scavenging and with a bit of luck something might give me a glimpse inside!"

That is if Miranda could find something that have been in possession of one of the guards - or even better - a prisoner!

Sorry for the delay, was sick this weekend. Blegh!

Boros listens to the others as they run through the ways they can best aid the initial scouting of the warehouse, then adds his own contributions to the list. "I'll be best suited to identifyin' any slack in the guards' routine, as well as figurin' what part o' the warehouse's defense to hit or avoid. The best prisons are built for that use, ya know? A converted buildin' is never as good, and those that do the convertin' usually miss a few details." He hums thoughtfully for a moment, fingers drumming lightly on the table, before continuing. "And if any o' the guards are havin' problems with their duty, I might be able to pick out which ones. It'll be on one o' you lot to do somethin' with that though, if it's there to be found."

Thanks for already providing the ideas on how you plan to gather intel. It will only come up next week, but allows me to plan ahead a bit.

Rexus looks around the table, at each one in turn, to see if anybody was not up to continuing what they had started, then nodded, content with the resolve he read in your faces:"It is a pity that Juliette decided not to be here, today...having even part of the nobility backing us would have been a major boon. But I understand that she was unwilling to endanger her family...she revealed too much, too soon. Let us make sure none of us repeat that mistake...not all of us can find refuge backed by that kind of money. But for now, we got a different kind of problem ahead of us. Let's take a closer look at that tunnel and the shelter area."
He stands up, walks over to the door leading directly to the kitchen(it would not be much of a private room if the main door would need to be opened every time a waiter was needed), and knocks twice.
Moments later, the door is thrown open by what is likely to be the fattest halfling most of you ever saw. His girth would rival his height, if not for the chef's toque he was wearing.
Stepping back, he rings a bell, then rummages around on a workplate, then waves you through, offering a piece of cinnamon-apple-pie to each as they pass him, speaking in a very deep, resonant voice:"There, there, eat up. Heard some weird noises down there, you need the sugar, will keep you going!"
Before you all made your way past him, Laria arrives at the kitchen:"I am glad you are here with Rexus. We'll have time to get aquainted more later...for now, I'll simply lead you downstairs. Did any of you need anything beforehand? Toilet? Drink? Hatchet? Otherwise we can be on our way!"

Complete map updated(that is, including upper floor, for immersion. You would probably form up in the cellar near the secret door.

I look at that tavern map, and darned if it doesn't remind me of one of the d20 Modern maps that used to appear in Polyhedron magazine before WotC destroyed it.

Quite enjoying the pie, Boros thanks the chef before continuing further into the kitchen. When he hears their hostess run through a short list of what the party might need before going on, Boros goes ahead and asks the obvious question. "And why, exactly, might we need hatchets down there?" While waiting on the answer, Boros does a quick check of his gear, just in case; when someone ask if you need a hatchet before going into a set of concealed tunnels, it doesn't bode well. Particularly in light of what last happened when the party poked around in secret basements and suchlike.

Oh, it was, originally, a modern map, yep-shadowrun, in my source. Cars outside and stuff. But it fits my agenda, so...specifically, the original Long Roads Coffee House does not have a "private" room, and no proper "employs-only"-area on the ground floor...both of which were a necessity in my eyes, considering the involvement with the Bellflowers. *nods towards Miranda*

Laria raises an eyebrow when Boros asks his question, then answers, unfazed:"Well, mostly, to cut down obstacles. Both those that move and those that don't. We didn't keep the door sealed because we're afraid of the dark. Somethings down there, and I've never quite felt an urge to go find out more when it was unnecessary. Could be it's just some rats, but if not...you may want a hatchet."
She shrugs, then picks up a cleaver from the kitchen surface, whirls it around in her hand, stopping it suddenly with the handle extending towards Boros:"Or something like this. Careful, it's sharp."

Varuzhan takes the lead, quarterstaff in hand. He waves away the offered pie. "We'll see what this is all about, I can eat later." He looks to the others to see when they're ready to go.

Staring at the proffered kitchen implement--which he will admit she wields quite skillfully--Boros releases a long-suffering sigh and shakes his head in refusal. "No need, I brought my own tools, if somethin' needs killin' down there," he says as he pats his sheathed weapons. "Was just hopin' that yer answer was goin' to be something other than what I was expectin' it to be." With another sigh, he waves toward stairs. "Lead on then, so we can get this over with. I'm not minded to spend any longer than I have to down in the dark with who knows what tryin' to snuff me out like a cheap candle."

Fun fact: we never got around to settling up the loot accounting and division from our previous run. Wasn't that supposed to be a thing at this gathering as well?

Aldous grabs a slice of pie from the halfling and chews happily. They were the best cooks. Simple food for a simple people, but their good nature seemed to rub off on their cuisine. And this one obviously knew his trade. If there was one thing that anyone could trust, it was a fat halfling chef.

Oh, Aldous, you casual racist you!

Oooh! Pie! Miranda gratefully grabs the delicious treat offered. She shouldn't really eat too much overly sugary stuff, since it always stuck to her teeth real bad, but it was hard to resist. And it's free! she thought to herself. And Bellflower made![/i "Thanks!" she chirped happily choosing to focus her mind on the pie instead of the prospect of once more going underground and facing something unknown. But her mind managed to derail a little - [i]I sure hope it's not another slime! - before she focused back on the good stuff.

@Aldous - For that chelaxian flavour :P

@Loot - Mm yah, we probably should do that also!

Lily had tried a sample of everything that she didn't recognize that was given to them, but drew the line at the pie; she'd had much too much in the way of sweets, and without the coffee she'd been sipping, the sweets would be overwhelming... especially on the way down into what was likely a dark space.

As they get ready to go deeper, she speaks up, "I've good news on the 'dealing with darkness' front. I managed to figure out how to make my light spell last longer, so I'll have longer durations in that way... and with a bit more effort I can bond that same light to everything in a small area." she shares, "Or people, I suppose."

Laria leads you down into the storage rooms, then presses a stone and simultaneously janks a torch holder into one direction. Some kind of sound comes from the wall next to it, which she then proceeds to push back, revealing a hidden chamber, with child-sized(or grown-halfling-sized) beds. Passing by them, she moves to another door, a gate made of massive iron. She opens her pack, searches around for a bit before producing a key and placing it in the doors keyhole. Turning it produces a sound of metal scratching against metal, and it seems to take quite some effort and strenght to do so. Looking back to the pack, she holds out torches and 2 sunrods:"Rexus told me he wanted to take a look. Honestly, it was the first thing that came to my mind after they closed off outside traffic, too. Got some light, at least."
She points back at the metal door: "The bar is rusted into place, I fear. Maybe either of you can try and get it open...otherwise I have gotten hold on some acid that could help, but while I trust Rexus to have choosen his companions well, I'd still sleep better at night knowing I can still close that door - that said, I'll stay up here with my trusty crossbow and a comfy chair and make sure nothing comes up that's not supposed to be here. So be sure to call out when you return, okay?"
With that, she steps aside from the door, letting you take a closer look, leaving the sunrods and torches leaning next to the wall free for taking, next to 2 flasks of acid.

You can try and get it open with blunt strenght, or more sophisticated measures. More or less destructive options exist. Worst case, bar and hinges get dissolved by acid and the door falls free.

Before doing anything to that door that might result in unnecessary damage--Boros can sympathize with Laria's desire to not have an unsecured opening for gods only know what to find--he examines the door intently. A part of him is somewhat amused by this recent trend in building inspection on his part, particularly since much of his knowledge on the subject is geared towards bringing structures down, not keeping them intact.

Making Knowledge (engineering) check to figure if the door is stuck because of disuse, or because it warped in the frame for some reason. In any case, he's also trying to figure out whether it just needs some muscle to get open, or if actual damage will be required to breach it.
Knowledge (engineering) Check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

"That's good. If there is anything lurking down there I doubt they would enjoy bright light shining on them!" Miranda replies to Lily's illuminative explanation.

When they are led into the hidden chamber, it absorbs most of her attention. Looking around at the beds and the cold stone she could feel the echoes of plight and hardship. It was not quite her hardship, she didn't have any relatives that were slips, but close enough. Brr! A shiver went up her spine, she rather really not thing about these things, but she probably should. But maybe later!

With a quick bounce she headed towards the locked metal door, focusing on the task at hand instead. "Is it just rust? Sometimes, at the workshop, we uses some kind of weak acid to get rid of that!" Her eyes jump between the door, Boros backside and the alchemists of the group.

Tannic acid is used to remove rust, if that's the problem : )

The door was "build" into the section of wall, sometime long after the walls were finished. There is a frame of sorts that fits too smoothly along the stone ages. Probably, magic was used to originally create this door.(Fabricate)
On the frame, there's hinges, and two slots for a massive bar, all to hold the massive iron door in the center.

The main problem seems to be that it's untreated iron, and the humidity in the air caused it to get rusted shut.
One point is the connection between the door and the frame, where it seems to have 'merged' in a few brown bubbly spots. The door opens away from your side, though, so depending on how stuck it is, brute force may help.
The metal bar is rusted as well, both to the frame and to the door. It's questionable if something can be done there - finally, the hinges themselves are in a bad shape. Both rusty, and unoiled.

No need for everybody to input here, it's simply an obstacle that may or may not affect things later or earlier. *innocent shrug* You can totally use the acid to bypass it if you want-

Varuzhan checks in case there's anything magical about this setup. Detect magic.

"Is there any way to get that rusty bar out without harming the door? Any chance we could use the acid, or hammer it off, or at least make it so that the bar isn't blocking the door from swinging anymore?" Varuzhan considers if that's possible.

So in my mind, it would be pretty hard to open the door without removing the bar that's rusted onto it. In the process of opening the door, you'd break the bar off, or else break the doorframe. I know the statement is that "it's questionable if something can be done there," but Varuzhan wants to see if anything can be done with the bar.

Is the rusty bar on our side? If yes, then it simply seems like a matter of removing the rust via mundane, alchemical or magical ways. If not, we don't really have much we can do..

Now if it then is simply stuck due to being poorly lubed a quick Grease spell should fix that : )

Nothing magical. But more seriously, I'm simply looking to see if any creative ideas pop up. Miranda already suggested (more or less) diluting acid and trying to eat away rust while leaving Iron intact, if someone with skill in alchemy wants to get it right. Grease is another option that qualifies in regards to the hinges. Since the magical grease seems more slippery than real one, that's a superior idea over "lets ask the cook for some oil/find some lantern oil"(both of which don't even use the proper kind of oil for that kind of application).
It's one of these cases where I'll not punish you for failing. But if you manage to impress me, you will maintain one security barrier that is not granted by the original AP - plus I wanted to give you a creativity/skill-based challenge before exploring another basement ;)

"I'm afraid that I don't have any good ideas. If it weren't in such a location... we could likely ask a cleric to try to repair it, but otherwise, it will require quite a bit of time, I think.." she pauses for a moment, then shakes her head. It was better not to ask Hannah about it, even if she would be incredibly interested in everything involved in this building thus far.

"With the right tool, perhaps we could chip away at it without destroying it completely?"

]I think alchemy roll should be Nissim. Or maybe Boros.

Varuzhan didn't exactly have a lot of knowledge of removing rust, but he does have basic knowledge of diluting substances to get the right mixture. He tries to help Nissim with the task. Aid Another; Profession (herbalism) in place of Craft (alchemy), Guidance: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 = 17 To give Nissim a +2 bonus.

[b]"There are two possibilities. Either dilute the acid or weaken it. I will see what I can do. Cooking oil from upstairs is my only suggestion for a lubricant I'm afraid.

Craft Potions/Alchemy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

"Oh I can fix the Grease if you just get rid of the rust!" Miranda beams as she weasels herself closer to the alchemist to see what he is doing.

Miranda has the Grease spell memorized and ready! : )

Having listened to the various ideas as he examines the door, Boros finally shrugs and steps aside. "Right, guess we hit the bar with some o' that acid, then lube it and give it some stout whacks to get it goin' once again," he says as he joins Nissim in getting the acid ready for use.

Craft (alchemy) Check (Aid Another): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
And Nissim's check gets an extra +2 bonus. Yay!

Aldous heads back and grabs another slice of pie while the others debate the door. Munching happily, the barrister makes his way back, talking while he chews. "Well, I can always blow the door - or the bar - if this doesn't work."

Aldous can do 1d6 bludgeoning or frost damage per round forever. Provided he can beat the door or bar's hardness, it is another option. Aldous' toolbox is not subtle.

Nissim goes about to prepare a diluted form of acid, with the help of Boros and Varuzhan, and the lot of them get ready to apply it to the spots where the rust is worst, with the lot of you backing up for a bit to let the toxic vapors diffuse a bit in the stagnant cellar air.
Returning to the door, Miranda greases up the hinges, while the others try and lift the bar, chipping away a bit at the pieces where it still seems stuck. Unfortunately, the connections between the sections designed to hold them and the bar proved to be stronger than those between the holding sections and the door/frame, and before long, they hold the bar in hands, together with the parts that should have remained stationary. But a few blows and kicks later, the door opens up, with the frame and door itself still intact- and while the grease spell won't last forever, some movement in the hinges seemed to help, and allowed some of the diluted acid applied there to reach other rusted parts.

TL,DR: Door is intact, Frame is intact, Hinges are okay, Bar is a goner - hopefully, that will be the easiest to find a replacement for, though.

Beyond, there's another short extension of the corridor, with another small storage area. It would be utterly dark here if not for the lights you have. There's a staircase leading further down, and in the distance, the echo of some liquid landing, drop by drop, in what is likely a surface of said liquid can be heared.

I need a marching order? I will restate that the map linked SHOULD be editable to everybody with the link, I know some people had trouble doing so with their phones, but wanted to mention it, regardless

Since our rear is secure, I think we can have the squisher members in the back without too many worries on that point. So I'd say Varuzhan and Boros up front. Probably in that order too, since Varuzhan has a little more in the way hit points and armor than Boros does, and Boros can probably eat a -4 penalty for firing into melee if he absolutely has to.

Can Boros tuck a sunrod into his harness for hands-free light? Because it not, I'll instead ask a friendly caster to cast light as needed on his equipment. Speaking of equipment, I'm shamelessly yoinking that morningstar! *yoink*

With the door now opened and mostly intact in the process, Boros waits on the rest of the party to form up while giving his gear a thorough check. His canteen is full of fresh tea, suitably sweetened, he's got powder and shot--but not enough of either; never enough, he ruefully admits to himself--and his blades have been honed to perfection. And his newest weapon, a rather ugly-looking ball of spiked metal on a hefty handle, rests at his side. Someone put a lot of effort into making that nasty little headcrusher, and a somewhat demented corner of Boros' mind giggles in anticipation of the mess he can make with it. For the comfort of his companions, however, Boros keeps those giggles purely internal; he's pretty sure they wouldn't respond too well to knowing what caused his amusement if they overheard him and asked about it.

Then Miranda after you two? I think she is the only one of us non-full bab that is remotely interested in stabbing something!

"Wehw! Now let's see what's in the tunnel!" Miranda exclaims and peers into the passage. Though that wasn't a very exciting sight as she could only see the way forward disappearing down the stairwell. Mhm underground stairs... She winced a little and put one hand on her dagger. Look! Even water dripping! "Eww - let's hope this doesn't go via the sewers too. And, *mhm*, no slime this time!"

Varuzhan, Boros and Miranda up front works for me. Nissim toward the front to throw bombs. Lily and Aldous in the rear.

"Great, I'll take point. Boros, you're with me. Stay close, and weapons at the ready." The strix wastes no time in leading the way down into the tunnel, staff in hand.

"Great. Aldous grumbles, under his breath. "More wet."

He makes sure to let everyone go in front of him - the further the barrister was from any traps or blades or explosions or spells was for the better. Pushing his spectacles high on the bridge of his nose, Aldous stares at Lily's feet, watching where she steps, making sure to mimic her as best he can in the dim light.

"It is not so terrible, once you get over the 'being incredibly sick' part." Lily responds to Aldous. "Especially when you factor in that our cutest ally happens to have magic suited for cleaning us up afterwards. Otherwise... I'm uncertain I'd be willing to be caught dead down here."

She takes the time to cast her light spell on the sunrod, rather than letting Boros activate it - he'd be able to activate it in a pinch if the spell were waning and he really needed light, that way.

Stronk folks going in front because the back is safe only works til there's a fork in the path :P