Finn: 22
Sekathral: 20
Silvio: 18
Dargon: 18
Kyson: 13
Zstelian: 12
Nemian Roblach: 6
As Silvio continues to swing wildly at the advancing monkeys -- their loud screams taunting him as his blade can't seem to connect -- Dargon continues to stand sentry at the door and Kyson puts more space between himself and the wild Chelaxian.
However, at Finn's words, the monkeys and other creatures suddenly stop moving, though they don't return to their stands.
"What do you have in mind?" Nemian asks. "You're the ones invading my shop!"
Finding no traps, you trip the latch, letting the section of wall swing back and revealing 15 more feet of hallway. It turns to the west at the end, running 25 feet, where it ends in a wall. A trap door sits in the floor.
Kyson "looks around" for the source of the invisible voice.
Perception
Maybe I can point the walking Chelaxian Blade Barrier in the right direction.
"What d'you reckon?" Asks Sekathral. "Shall we keep going, or go back and get the others?"
[b]Round 4[b]
Dargon continues to stand sentry, doing his best to contain his growing anger long enough to give Finn a chance at diplomancy.
Finn carefully and gingerly returns an urchin to his belt pouch. "We're only here because we tracked one Vanthus Vanderboren here, and we wish to speak with him. It's possible that this is yet another ruse, but for whatever reason, this is where we ended up. Unfortunately, just saying, 'He's not here' isn't going to be enough to convince us that's not what's going on. That's what you'd say if you were hiding him. And attacking us makes us think that you do have something or someone to hide, so that's not working out, either. So how about we drop the illusions, put away our weapons, assess the damage, and you and I discuss next steps over tea? I believe there's a café on the corner. You've clearly put a lot of hard effort in these displays, and we have absolutely no problem with the taxidermy business, so let's find a way to leave that part out and properly protected. Agreed?"
Zstelian picks up the weasel and perches him on a shoulder, "Speak up if you smell anything."
Making sure his headwrap is secure, the Varisian enters the hallway and searches the ground-door for traps.
1d20+10
"Let's see where this goes first."
Sekathral says nothing, slipping through the trapdoor , then examining the way ahead
"You've clearly put a lot of hard effort in these displays, and we have absolutely no problem with the taxidermy business, so let's find a way to leave that part out and properly protected. Agreed?"
Kyson, looking over Finn's shoulder, says "Yeah."
Diplomacy
Silvio continues his heroic battle against the illusional stuffed monkeys, paying little mind to that the fighting seems to have stopped around him. "Now what do you think about that?" he asks in triumph after a perticulary well aimed attack.
Zstelian pauses a moment at the question, "I- We- it's complicated", he finally spits out. "I believe he's my familiar. Have you heard of such a thing?"
"Yeah..." Sekathral pauses. "You're a wizard, then, are you? You don't look like the robes and spellbook type, though, and I don't remember you slinging any spells before yesterday... Blame the local grog for that, perhaps." He gives Tosh a sideways glance, smiling nervously as he does so.
Finn: 22
Sekathral: 20
Silvio: 18
Dargon: 18
Kyson: 13
Zstelian: 12
Nemian Roblach: 6
"Attacking you makes you think I've got something to hide? You're crazy even for a gnome! Your friends were invading my home. How do I know you're not trying to lure me to the back, slit my throat and take everything?! And, no, I'm not going somewhere else with you, so your friends can loot my home and business while I'm out! I'm telling you this person you're looking for's not here and you're calling me a liar!"
Kyson listens for where the voice is coming from.
Perception
And tries to sense if the man is bluffing.
Sense Motive
You believe the voice is coming from about 15 feet in front of Dargon.
You also think that the man might be telling the truth, but at the same time hiding something. He seems really anxious that you not go poking around the building.
There appear to be no traps in the passageway or trap door. Opening it, you find a wooden ladder leading down to a natural passageway. You can see moisture dripping from the walls to pool on the rough floor, draining in tiny rivulets to the east. A wooden door beckons to the west.
Finn shrugs. "My crazy days are behind me. But suit yourself, I'm not interested in battle. Not with you, anyway."
He puts away his spear and saunters for the door outside.
"Down we go, then"
Sekathral shimmies down the ladder and creeps up to the door leading west, inspecting it then, once satisfied, listening at it to try and get some idea of what lies beyond.
"Here" He says to Zstelian "Door looks clear, but I can't make out what's behind it. How about you?
Kyson will gently walk and move into the square where he heard the voice.
"Oops. Excuse me."
Kyson, your attempt to walk into where you heard your voice doesn't seem to work -- either your hearing's not that good or the man moved.
"Look," Nemian says. "How's this sound? All of you go outside and bother someone else, and I'll show the gnome around, so he can see there's no one hiding here?"
Torches set in the walls provide faint light as you go down into the damp caverns below the Taxidermist's Hall.
You don't hear anything at the door, which you realize is in fact slightly ajar.
"Your terms are on the right path but they are not acceptable. You must take Silvio!", Silvio says with a grand gesture with his blade.
"Fine," the voice says, invisibly rolling its eyes. "I don't care which one of you I show around, but it'll only be one of you."
Kyson stops moving.
"I'll wait here and watch the place. Take Silvio..." Kyson says. "...please.
"Fine by me. Let's just hope they haven't started ransacking the place and it isn't crawling with bandogs by now" Sekathral turns around and heads back the way they came.
"You can wait outside with everyone else, boy!" the invisible voice snaps at Kyson's comments.
Kyson jumps at the sharp retort, his eyes looking to and fro to find the source while he clutches his shield closer to his chest, protectively.
Silvio takes a step back holding his blade in a defensive stance to make the illusions think twice about atempting an attack. "So, your senses as caught up with reality. Your terms are acceptable. You may show Silvio to Vanthus."
Finn shrugs. "Okay! Out we go!"
He whispers to Kyson. "You know, this would be the perfect time for Nemian to smack Silvio." He says nothing further.
"Bah, fair 'nough terms I suppose," Dargon says before looking at Silvio, "We'll be outside. As Dargon turns away to walk through the front enterance, he half-looks over is shoulder, "Nemian, best ya keep in mind that we know how ta find ya."
As Dargon, Finn and Kyson step outside onto Water Street, they hear a bolt thrown in the door behind them. The street seems quiet, boarded up buildings alongside the Taxidermist's Hall indicating that this section of Eleder's hit on hard times.
Inside, Nemien suddenly reappears near the door. "This way," he says with a scowl toward Silvio, leading him through the door in the back. "Though I don't know how often I have to tell you there's no Vanthus here."
"Don't touch anything," he snaps as you step into a hallway that runs west before turning back north, toward the front of the building. You see three other doors, as well. "Where do you want to look first? I'd like to get this idiocy over with so I can get back to work."
Zstelian, coming back up into the Taxidermist's Guildhall, you think you hear voices from the hall ahead, though you can't make out any details.
Finn responds, "Welp, I'm off for a run."
He takes off on a sprint around the building.
Kyson stares at the strange little man as he takes off around the building.
Kyson realizes that he is left alone with Dargon and begins to rock back and forth in his shoes, nervously.
"So...Dargon, come here often?"
Sure hope Silvio is okay. And what happened to that old guy?
As Finn runs off Dargon looks to Kyson. "It just me or does da gnome take issue with sitting still?"
"It'd do 'im good ta stop an' look around," Dargon continues as he stops and looks around Water Street. "Ha-ha, I guess this area of town ain't da best place for lookin', huh priest?"
Silvio strokes his mustache and strikes a pose of being deep in thought. "Where do you keep the lap of the lotus? There is where Silvio wishes to search first."
Sekathral readies his crossbow and attempts to hide in the shadows to await whatever's coming
Nemian sighs. "You're dumber than some of those stuffed creatures, aren't you? How many times do I have to say there's nothing here? Anyway, let's get this farce started in the back."
He leads you around the corner, where what looks like it should be a wall has instead swung open. "What the hell?" he exclaims loudly, his voice outraged.
A few moments later you hear an outraged voice cry "What the hell?"
"Your defensive stance tells Silvio that he is on the right path. Now there is to be less stalling. Bring Silvio to Vanthus so he may right the wrongs that Vanderboren has done."
Silvio looks at the wall. "Haha, did you think that you could hide your secrets from Silvio?", the chelaxian says in triumph. "You may lead Silvio past the secret door and to the lap of the lotus.", he continues and gestures for the shopkeeper to enter.
Surprise round
As Sekathral and Zstelian move into the hallway, Nemian suddenly casts a spell and calls out to Silvio, "Help me, friend!" Unfortunately for Nemian, Silvio manages to resist the spell, leaving him free to act as he will.
"Ah, Silvio's friends are already here!", Silvio salutes Zstelian and Sekathral. "Wher..", he starts before Zstelian charges the shopkeeper. Displaying his lightning reflexes the chelaxian deftly interposes himself between Nemian and the newly made witch. "There is no need for that. Nemian here was escorting Silvio to meet with Vanthus", Silvio explains. "Now he will escort all of us!"
Sekathral drops his crossbow, draws his rapier and moves into position behind Nemian
** spoiler omitted **
As Silvio steps in front of Zstelian, stopping the vicious attack, Nemian steps back, pauses a moment and then shakes his head with a sigh.
"Looks like you already found the secret door, so I might as well tell you. The Lotus Dragons pay me to be their eyes and ears. Members come and go, but I've got no idea where Vanthus is. You want to go invade their home and look for Vanthus, be my guest."
"...and so, yeah, Dargon, that's how ink is made." Kyson continues to chitter nervously with Dargon while he waits for Silvio and the others to return.
"And the paper we use is crafted from...blah blah blah...pulped flumph skin...blah blah blah....demons...blah blah blah...an old rusty pitchfork....blah blah blah...under the exact same tunic!! Blah blah....and so I...blah blah blah...'mother, it's my body...'...blah blah blah...onions! Like I said, onions!"