@Sandy/Jeq - what are you guys each up for - lookouts, distraction or entry?
"Beth, if it helps with the plans, I can always recall the Knock spell with the use of my bonded item.
"That's a good back-up if we need it. But if Silas can do it alone, he should be able to do it without drawing attention on him. And do take it personally but most of the wizards I know cannot cast discreetly."
Silas - let's look in the cellar.
@Sandy/Jeq - what are you guys each up for - lookouts, distraction or entry?
"If no objection I can help with the lookout and add to the distraction if needed."
Silas takes off and then replaces his sleeves as his clothes change to be much scabbier and unkempt. No shininess here just almost down and out. He slips out the tools he needs from his bag and secrets them upon himself, then stoops over and starts to shuffle quietly towards the cellar. Once there he looks around then starts to examine the 'door', .
The cellar doors are typical cellar doors. They are unlocked and do not appear to be trapped. The cellar is dank and smells of brackish salt water.
Silas opens the cellar doors slowly and indicates for someone to come over.
Make a Survival check Silas.
Morgan moves over to look as bidden by Silas.
Morgan, you detect the hint of acid in the air of the cellar.
Morgan puts a hand on Silas' shoulder.
"Careful Silas. If there was any...body in there they are most likely swill now." morgan makes a show of sniffing the air, then frowning. "I smell acid!"
Morgan peers in, trying to make out the floor, a keg-ramp or other paraphernalia of a tavern-cellar.
You see stairs going down straight ahead. You can only see a small section of the floor due to a wall next to the stair.
Beth takes a spot where she can see the cellar door, the locked building and the street leading to the tavern main entrance.
As Silas and Morgan move to the cellar, she palms her whistle and whispers: "Remember, one blow, you hide and two, you get out like hell."
Silas reaches into his pack and produces a sunrod. He looks to Morgan to see if he has anything better.
Upon looking into the cellar you see:
Cellar
Morgan shakes his head. He winds his harpoon cord around one hand nervously and mimes for Silas to hold the sunrod aloft. Then with an intake of breath he calls on Tohoraha and wavers and blurs, blossom and shrinking in a wave of reality-shaping transformation.
Merge with Tikiman: 1 mana point expenditure.
Morgan disappears leaving the grinning manikin Tiki in his place. Tiki descends the stairs to the bottom, peering about.
4 rounds left of Merge with Tiki.
Silas moves down slowly holding the sunrod around slowly to take in the cellar.
On the north wall behind some stacked barrels, you notice what appears to be a hidden passageway.
Silas indicates to Tiki towards the barrels and slowly, cautiously heads over to them to start clearing a way to the passage.
Tiki follows the provided instructions.
I'm guessing that uses 1 round of Merge. Three remaining.
Oops, yeah I read that backwards, sorry.
Tiki only has a str of 9 so he cannot move the barrels himself.
Silas moves the barrels quietly to clear a passage initially for the tiki.
Silas, you notice an empty barrel with it's bottom removed.
Tiki pads quietly down the now-cleared passageway.
(lowlight vision, darkvision 60 ft)
I have also decided to add +2 to Tiki's Perception because the Tiki rules say
"Alertness (Ex): While an animate tikiman is within arm’s reach , the master gains the Alertness feat."
Merge with tikiman says you "perceive through its (the tikiman's) senses..."
As Morgan is merged with Tiki, and thus using his senses, I thought it appropriate. But not to use Morgan's Perception score. Up to you brvheart - if you disagree then take 2 off Tiki's Perception roll. ;) I'm cool either way, just let me know for future reference.
The passageway goes 15' and dead ends.
Silas carefully tries to open the barrel if it will open whilst also being careful to check for traps.
Underneath the barrel you find 600 gp, a fake eye made from a sapphire of exquisite quality, an emerald brooch, a silver and mother of pearl signet ring of the Church of Quell with the initials “A. N.” engraved on the inside of the band, three pearl necklaces, and a thick gold bracelet.
Silas carefully collects the items to take back to the others. 'Poor Barrett losing out on what he's taken.' He places the barrel back and heads down the tunnel after the tiki quietly.
Silas doesn't see anything more than Tiki. Make a Bardic Knowledge roll.
I don't have bardic knowledge. I have world traveller instead.
Morgan/Tiki waits patiently, his deep carved features seeming deeper and moodier in the hard light of Silas' sunrod.
One round remaining of Merge.
If you are referring to this POST I have and it doesn't help me much. I'd say the stuff Silas found has the initials of the missing Quell cleric Noeliss, but beyond that I don't know why this passageway is a dead end.
Does the passageway lead toward the storage building?
Morgan will resume his normal form and search the passageway and more particularly the end wall.
Fan-f*(king-tastic.
Down the dead end passageway it is stronger.
And yeah I had figured the ring, but I suppose I should have said to the others even ooc.
Silas has one last look around to see if they can find a way through from this side.
You think there is some sort of door there, but you can't quite figure it out.
Silas indicates to Morgan to head back out. He heads back up the stairs out towards the others, looking around as he exits the cellar, closing the door quietly behind them for now, but not locking it.
Once back with the others he quietly begins, "I've found some items that prove what we wanted, but I think there's more to find. I'll show those later, but for now there's a tunnel which we can't find the door at the other side for. I think it goes to that building over there. There's a strong smell of acid coming from it, which I guess is definitely not a good sign. I would say we try again with some coming through the tunnel whilst the rest look at going in via whatever door there is up here. Is there a way we can share a message between the two groups?" He looks to Jequette and Beth as the ones who might be able to sort that.
"I do not have any spell to aid in communication in my books to study. I would need to defer to Beth on this issue. What is your plan?"
"Well the obvious idea is to come into the building from two directions. Better if it happens at the same time to catch whatever might be in there offguard.
"I'm afraid I don't know how to do it either. Besides, I think it's easier if we go together through the same route. Who knows if there are locked doors on each way and you're the only one able to open them."
"Then I should take a look at that building from up here."
Silas shuffles down into his stoop and heads over to the other building looking for a way in.
Morgan takes a moment to turn back into Tiki.