Perched on the end of a long pier fifteen feet above the water, the warehouse appears to struggle against its own roof, threatening to sag into the bay below. No light shines from the building’s windows and only the movement of gulls and pelicans stirs the scene.
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Recounting the answers Vitarri gave versus the questions he asked Evan looks like he is going over the conversation all over again in his head, he suddenly smiles up at the tall man. ”I like you!! Most people don’t answer half my questions and if they do they answer in the wrong order getting themselves and me all confused. Not you thou, you did it all in one sentence and in the right order."
"Now to answer your question." Evan tries to keep pace with the large man’s long strides. ”I’am good at baking. Boy can I make a mean chicken pot pie. I can climb a tree pretty well but I have already told you that. I can hit a swamp rat with a dagger from twenty paces. My papa taught me that. I can dance the 2 step, 3 step and the Varisia belly dance really well. I can pick out a hawk in the sky on a cloudy day. I can keep secrets better them most and can talk anyone under the table. If I had to pick one thing I’m best at it would be hiding and running. Ha ha Well that’s two things isn’t it. Anything else you want to know? I’m sure I have left out something."
Evan starts counting on his fingers trying to remember something else. Then he hears Mary and looks up. ”Oh…we are here. Sure Mary, I can look at the door.”
Evan quietly walks up to the door and listens at it before checking to see if it’s trapped or locked.
Evan checks the door and notices it's locked. He doesn't detect any traps and goes to work with his lockpicking tools.
It takes Evan some time, but after a minute the rogue manages to unlock the door. The door, however, doesn't budge and appears to be barred from the inside.
A fisherman and two kids can be seen approaching the warehouse while Evan tries to work his magic, but they don't look into the rogue's direction. The fisherman waves at Vitarri when he passes him. "Nice weather, 'ey? Goin' fo' some fishin' with 'em boys 'ere!"
Soon the fisherman and the kids are out of sight.
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"That's wonderful my dear. You did such a nice job unlocking the door. Now, let me show you my lockpick. It's a bit bigger." Mary pulls out a crowbar from her backpack. She sets down her bow for a moment and shoves the crowbar between the door and the sill. "My daddy always said, 'crowbars are a girl's best friend'." Mary pulls/pushes the crowbar to force the door to open.
Despite Mary applying her best friend to open the door, the door doesn't budge. The door creaks a bit though, and unless Mary wants to try again on her own the aid of her companions might just prove enough to open the door.
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Vitarri greets the fishermen and his kids warmly. "Looks to be a good day for fishing indeed." When they were gone he returned to his neutral look and kept an eye out for trouble.
He notes the boat as this warehouse was surrounded by water, but that is as far as he got. When he saw Mary having a hard time budging the door he came up and attempted to give her a hand. He couldn't help but stand somewhat over her due to how cramped the end of the dock was.
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Mary gives a huff. "Maybe if I use my leg while you pull with your hands." Mary braces herself against the warehouse wall and puts her foot on one side of the crowbar, while Vitarri pulls with his hands. Together they push the crowbar.
"Hmm, door a bit harder than I thought. Maybe we could get into the boat tied here and move it into the warehouse from the side."
Mary tries to open the door again, this time using her leg, but doesn't have much luck. Vitarri tries to help her by pulling with his hands, and the door creaks a bit louder. He then decides to try it alone, takes the crowbar from Mary's hands, and tears down the entire door.
Darkness fills the warehouse, the ambient light from outside blocked by a filthy, oily film on the structure’s few windows. Darting illumination comes from light reflecting off the water through a splintered hole in the floor. Throughout the warehouse, crates, boxes, and barrels lean against each other in vaguely sorted stacks. A lingering smell indicates some of the contents are certainly spoiled.
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"Well you did mention overcoming challenges is your thing. Score one for Gorum." Mary chuckles and puts the crowbar back into her backpack and then picks up her bow.
"Evan, be a dear and grab the lantern by the door before you go inside, the light will help us. We'll follow you inside."
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Vitarri looks at the crowbar, ensuring he hadn't broken it before handing it back to Mary. It is more then obvious now that Vitarri is anything but quiet when he puts forth his greater efforts.
"I can see in the dark so I can follow Evan." He speaks a phrase in celestial (cast light) and lightly touches Mary's Shoulder. It takes a moment but soon her armor is shining, however not very brightly in the open daylight...
But at least her hands were free now so they could move things around without a lantern in one hand. It appeared to be a warehouse after all.
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Evan looks up at Mary with a confused look and points at Vitarri. "He broke the door down he can let him go inside first. All that racket he made I would not be surprise if a lizardfolk army is not waiting for him inside." Feeling Vitarri standing over him. "What! It's true you made a lot of noise but don't worry we can still be friends .... as long as you go in first." Evan smiles up at Vitarri. "Don't be scared I'll be right behind you."
Behind Vitarri
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Vitarri almost chuckles at Evans words. He was starting to like this bunch. Mary needed some work but the other two were alright. With confidence lining his words as he spoke Vitarrimoved towards the doorway. "With pleasure, besides I was afraid of stepping on you by mistake." The hint of a smile rises at the corner of his mouth before moving inside.
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With the light from Vitarru's spell every object within several feet of Mary becomes visible for the party. Just inside the door sits a handful of crates and kegs of beer. Most of these smaller crates and barrels contain foodstuffs in various states of freshness. Some crates reek of rot. Stacks of simple coffins sit against the east wall.
Close to the East wall you a hole in the warehouse's floor. Perched in the middle of the hole, teetering on split planks, sits a large crate stamped with three crows arranged in a triangle. Handholds cut into the stout wooden crate ring the rim. A few boards might make walking up to the crate possible, or not.
A crane, used for loading and unloading boats, clings to a rail running the length of the warehouse, hanging 5 feet below the high ceiling, and can slide out to extend past the loading doors along the west wall.
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I use my Detect Evil class ability to scan the warehouse. I'm especially interested in focusing it on the coffins as you might imagine.
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Seeing everyone arming up Vitarri shrugs and follows suit, drawing his greatblade before he points in the direction of their crate and chuckles. He tries to whisper but his voice still carries some in the dark environment. "Crate is near the west wall loading doors sitting in the middle of a hole in the floor with a single plank for support. I don't see anything moving about." He pushes forward as he suggests. "What do you all think of using that boat outside?" He seems to make little effort to quiet his movements as he wasn't skilled in sneaking.
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Mary smirks a little at the coffins. Everything seems okay, that's what worries me.
"Evan, you know what would be super useful? In my backpack you'll find a rope and a grappling hook. If you were say take the rope and wrap it around the crate, and then hook it with the grappling hook, we could pull the crate off the single plank before opening it. You're so quick and nimble, I'm sure with your very capable hands you'd be able to do that without a problem. If anything gives you a problem or there is a surprise, I can shoot it and Vitarri and Muchiko can protect you."
Mary drops her backpack at Evan hairy's feet and follows along behind Vitarri with her bow in the ready position.
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Weighing off both proposals, Muchiko asks for the details before deciding.
@Vitarri;"You suggest dropping the chest onto the boat?"
Afterwards at Mary;"Sounds okay, but there's a possibility the plank can break under the weight of a fully loaded crate."
Map after moving in with the others.
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"Well, it's a bit dark in here, but it looks like the hole in the floor does not extend all the way to the boat entrance, so either way someone is going to have to get on the plank and move it. My suggestion just reduces the amount of weight on the plank once it's moved, as well as having it tied up might help us pull the box should it happen to fall into the water."
Mary begins thinking more about the plank and the weight and the obvious potential for a trap.
"Or, perhaps here is another possibility. Evan ties up the crate with the rope and grappling hook, and we secure the other end of the rope so that if the crate somehow falls, we can just pull it up. And after he ties it up, someone big, tall and strong can use a crowbar and open the crate where it is, and then just grabs the books and walks over the planks once that's done. I just think having the crate tied up and examined for traps would be a good first, preventative step."
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Evan sits down next to Mary's backpack. This is weird someone that wants me to go through their pack instead of yelling at me for being in their pack already. Mary sure is a trusting person. I like these people they understand me.
After a few minutes Evan stands up and walks over to Mary holding the rope and grappling hook while eating something. "Ok I got the rope...chew chew...and hook what...chew...did you want me...chew...chew...to do with it again? Seeing Mary's look of irritation at him talking with his mouthful, Evan stops talking to chew and swallow whatever he was eating. "I hope you don't mind I took some of your rations out of your pack. Don't look at me like that I told you I was hungry and your food looked so good. By the way where did you get it? Back in the village I grew up in there was this baker that made the best butter rolls....ah man those where good. To bad he got killed when the lizardfolk raided. Did I ever tell you that story?" Seeing Mary getting red in the face, Evan cuts himself short."Where is the crate we need?"
Three dire rats jumps out from between the crates when Vitarri moves further into the warehouse. One of them surprises Vitarri and tries to bite him.
However, the dire rat misses Vitarri.
Mary:
Muchiko:
Vitarri:
Rat (Red):
Rat (Pink):
Rat(Azure):
Turn progression:
Party
Rats
Evan draws a dagger and slings it at one of the rats with a flick of his wrist, instantly killing it. Mary quickly shoots two arrows at the rat that tried to bite Vitarri. The rat dodges the first arrow, but Mary's second arrow pierces the rat's skull and kills it.
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Vitarri was unamused by the filthy rats attempt to bite him, his evasion was the mere lifting of his leg, and he was just about to crush it with his bare hands when Mary kills it with an arrow. He turns to look at her, his eyes glinting in the dark like a beast before he shrugs his shoulders and steps around the crates. He raises his fist as he mutters. "Not worthy of my blade..." Just as the last rat screeched at him he brought his fist down, ramming his gauntlet into its filthy muzzle...
[spoiler=Rolls and actions]
The sound of the rat's skull being crushed by Vitarri's fist can be clearly heard by all. When Vitarri looks at his fist he sees one of the rat's eyeballs stuck in between his fingers, staring at him.
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Muchiko didn't much mind that the others had gotten their share of the rat. Vermin needs to be gotten rid off anyway.
"How about a mixture of both of your plans? If the boat can indeed be put underneath the crate and the crate is lowered with the rope and grapplinghook onto it, we are in the clear."
Edit:
"That is to say, if there is space to get underneath the warehouse for the boat."
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Evan moves slowly and carefully toward the crate testing the floor with each step. "I'll wait until you guys have the boat into position then I'll tie the rope on. I'll need a little help lowering it into the boat thou, that crate looks like it weighs 3 times more then me."
to Move Silently and Gently
to find Traps and Bad Footing
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Mary moves on top of one of the crates to get a better vantage point in case she needs to shoot again. MAP
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"Well Abadar smiles upon me, I see a crate that might make this job a bit easier. Muchiko, there's a crate over there" Mary points in a direction of one of the crates "that might have some better rope in it. Perhaps that rope will be better at holding the crate's weight than my old hemp rope. Would you mind getting it? I'll cover you with my bow from this vantage point in case some more big rats show up."
Mary tries her best not to sound bossy. Mary can clearly shoot just about anything from atop this crate, and giving up that strategic position just doesn't make sense to her.
Evan tries to walk one of the planks, but almost loses his balance after the first step.
The talkative halfling manages to regain his balance, but only by stepping back from the plank.
Muchiko doesn't have much trouble opening the crate with ropes, as it's opened already. In the crate Mary pointed out, Muchiko finds 4 silk ropes.
Evan succesfully walks the plank and ends up next to the crate.
Evan succesfully ties the rope to the crate, and moves back over the plank. However, halfway the plank his foot slips and he almost falls down. He's barely able to regain his balance and now stands halfway the plank.