"Not been here ten minutes and I already hate it here." The big man said grumpily. "Don't trust anything you see. Specially if it looks enticing. That's how the magic gets ya."
Kazmuk replies to Ealasaid, "Pretty much. Just need to figure out who is going to be our spokesperson."
Rose turns to Karthan and says, "Magic lacks a mind of it's own, darling. It can not "get ya" any more than your gunpowder can decide to explode on its own."
Turning to Kazmuk and Ealasaid, Rose says, "I think that if there are people here, they will probably not attack us on sight, considering all the doors were unlocked and there doesn't seem to be any guards. I shall speak to this woman, unless some of you objects? And please do at least sheathe your weapons, this seems like a civilized place."
Rose knocks politely on the frame of the open door, and greets the halfling woman.
"Good day, madam. My companions and I are visiting your temple in order to learn more about the wise teachings of Korada, and we were seeking the meditation room. If it's not too inconvinient, may you point us to the right direction?",
Ealasaid stand by the side of Rose, weapon sheated.
Zinthar nods his agreement with the gunslinger just as Rose makes her comment. "I do not have much experience with illusions, but I do know they can affect the body if the mind lets them."
As Rose starts talking to the woman Zinthat takes a tentative step forward to just behind her left shoulder, attention focused on the halfling work, looking for inconsistencies between what he sees and what he expects, lack of sounds, anything that might indicate that the halfling may not be what she seems.
The halfling woman jumps a little at Rose's voice, and drops a plate; leaning back desperately, she manages to catch it, wiping her brow with relief with her other hand before turning and smiling. "Oh... visitors. You startled me. Phew." She wipes her brow again then puts the plates on the table, giving a polite bow to Rose. "My name is Minka, and it would be my pleasure to welcome you to the temple and find a brother or sister to take you to the meditation room; however, midmeal is imminent, would you like to join us?" She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small, ornate bell, counting off a few more seconds until it is time to ring it.
"We have not had visitors in some time, the monks would no doubt find it a pleasure to learn more about you and share Korada's wisdom over a good meal."
Zinthar notices no particular inconsistencies.
Kazmuk has all his weapons sheathed and or stowed and does his best to look friendly. He thinks, "If nothing else, a nice meal that didn't come from a trail ration packet would be welcome. Hopefully we can do what we came here to do with minimal fuss."
"We would be delighted, my dear, thank you for the kind offer."
"I hope that this isn't the monkish food of Tian, though considering Koradans usually dislike eartly pleasures, I will probably be wrong... Anyway, poison or toxins don't usually do any favours tastewise...
Rose gives a stern gaze at the halfling, and studies her movement and tone cautiously, looking for any slip for betrayal, while still smiling politely.
Rose then turns to the Halfling and asks, "Oh, Minka, if it's not too inconvenient, could you spare some food for my owl as well? She doesn't seem to be handling the lilac sky so well."
Afterwards, if the halfling seems sincere, Rose will sit down when it's time and begin a conversation with someone from around here, in a hopefully sophisticated tone.
Karthan, applying years of experience in being an untrustworthy bastard, glances at the corners, ceiling and various nooks and crannies of the room particularly behind the seats. For traps, watchers, and assassins.
Perception
Karthan takes a seat back facing a blank boring wall if at all possible.
Thanks Minka...how many brothers and sistes are we going to join in this meal?
Rose detects no hint of insincerity or deceit in Minka's behaviour. She nods eagerly. "Of course. Korada will provide." Raising the bell she strikes it, letting an alarmingly loud tone ring throughout the temple.
One by one, eleven human and halfling residents dressed in the same white robes walk in and take their seat at the table; some polite interest is shown at the visitors' arrival, but no great excitement. When they are all seated, Minka utters a word; the table magically fills itself with fruits, grains, nuts and juices sufficient to feed over twenty people. You are all encouraged to take the empty seats.
One of the halflings piles some food onto a large plate, which is taken away through a northern door, as the monks begin eating and politely conversing about the day's events, which chiefly seem to be concerned with meditation rituals, private meditation, and reading literary works of meditation.
Kazmuk will sit down at the table with/near other members of the party. He will check the food out before he eats any.
Assuming Kazmuk finds nothing wrong with the food he will go ahead and enjoy some.
As the table fills magically with food, Rose tries to perceive the magic's weave for anything interesting or out of the ordinary, then waits for a second for somebody to pull her chair for her, then sits down and starts looking for the leader of the monks. She mentally shows interest at the northern door, prompting Niv to pay close attention to it.
, and politely waits for him/her to finish his current conversation before starting a conversation with him/her.
"We apologise for coming without warning, master, but we were greatly interested in the teachings of Korada. It was immensely interesting for us to hear about the meditation techniques and the meditation room. Is it possible for us to observe some of your techniques in the room, or at least view the great texts about meditation? I assure you, as a scholar myself, I shall show only the greatest respect to your ways."
Ealasaid eat first, making a sing to her partnes to wait to see fi the food have some negative effect on her.
Seeing Ealasaid's obvious sign, Rose sighs quietly and pays attention to any changes in her behaviour.
The girl certaintly looks like she can swing that piece of metal, but subtlety or social events are definitely not her forte...
Karthan glowers at his food as if expecting it to jump up and eat his face.
Kazmuk, noticing Ealasaid's gesture, waits to see what happens to her before he starts eating.
Rose is able to identify the source of the food as magical, likely one of several spells which create food from nothing.
Listening to the monks' conversation, she can identify no clear leader, but occasionally they speak of one named 'Dakang' with a tone approaching reverence. He seems to be their leader.
When she speaks, she is quite warmly received by the monks. They express mild delight at new visitors especially those coming to learn; one of them, an old man named Iatzu, volunteers to take any interested to join him in the meditation room for a session. He also asks an acolyte to direct you all to the library if asked.
While the other monks tuck into their foot with obvious enjoyment, to Ealasaid it tastes of ashes and dirt.
Karthan notices no particular pattern in which fingers are missing.
"Your offer is too kind, Master Iatzu. I will take you up on your offer. As soon as you are willing and able, I suggest we leave. But please, tell me more about your temple. I also have an interest in architecture, and your temple has me amazed. Can you tell me more about the structure of the grounds?
I heard that you have a meditation garden as well, and I am certain that this plane has many interesting plants and wildlife I'd like to see.
And, forgive me for this, but I overheard you speaking of someone called Dakang, and I assumed that he is your master, of sorts. Could you please tell me more about him, a man revered as a leader among enlightened individuals such as yourself must be an interesting figure indeed."
The old man smiles and takes another bite of bread. "We should all be done with midmeal soon, it would be my pleasure to take you to my session then."
"As for the temple, well... Korada has blessed us with a structure magnificently suited to our needs. It possesses a chapel, a library, meditation rooms, kitchens and bedroom, as well as yes a very fine meditation garden. It is currently being maintained by a fine young pilgrim, Gastidem." He looks around for a second, then looks back. "Seems the lad is skipping another meal today; I myself find little spiritual reward in denying the body, but I appreciate his fervor."
"Ah, before I tell you of our leader, I should mention- it is forbidden for temple inhabitants to visit the crypt, or Dakang's private quarters without express permission. You are of course free to wander, just please keep this in mind that you not be lead into strife."
"Now. Master Dakang- kind of you to refer to me as a Master, but I confess myself nothing compared to him- is a wise man, human but immortal, who has lead the temple for generations. He blessed me when I arrived over forty years ago and we regularly debate the finer points of Korada's teachings even today. He is a great and good man, and very blessed by Korada. That food being taken out of the hall? It is being taken for his personal companions and guardians alone; he has no need of mere sustenance, so blessed he has been."
Immortality, then... Powerful indeed. That is certainly something the Society may be interested in... Forbidden crypt, immortality and no need for eating... I just hope none of my companions immediately jump on and latch on to the idea that this man is undead...
"A crypt! But of course, Koradans must have their own burying rituals and ways, and it must be a great honor to be buried on the grounds of the temple, where you toiled and sought enlightenment.",asks Rose, playing the part of the blabbermouthed researcher, " I must admit I am unfamiliar with your ways, so forgive me for asking if this is something that offends you, but how may someone acquire express permission? I would be honoured to be agree to all your requirements, so I can go and observe it." Rose looks at her companions, ignoring the meal in front of her, and engages in a conversation about a topic discussed by the monks previously.
"Hrm...I suppose that, if you can convince one of Dakang's guardians of your fervor, one of them may go in and draw pictures of any special parts of the crypt that you are curious about. The library should hold enough records to satisfy such curiosity about all else."
Iatzu seems very sincere and is trying to accommodate your desires, balancing his own obligations as a monk.
So this is going to require some finesse, I suppose... But first, let's see what else we can take from them before starting to undermine our positions with them... About this Dakang, though...
"That would be incredibly helpful, Master Iatzu, thank you. And, of course, an individual such as yourself would have been expecting this question, but I must ask regardless. Is it possible to have an audience with the grand master Dakang himself? I would be honoured to meet such a being."
"Master Dakang prefers to keep to himself and senior monks, however he will be at the daily service in a few hours; you are of course welcome to attend with us all."
Kazmuk studies Ealasaid trying to figure out what her verdict on the food is.
Kazmuk thinks, "If we can't get some relative privacy to compare notes in we are going to have problems. I don't know why so many of these monks are trying to hide the fact that they have lost fingers, but that certainly does not go with what they say they are. At least Rose seems to be doing well playing the chatterbox. I guess I'll just stay my relatively quiet self and try not to be too openly paranoid."
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Kazmuk puts his "Sense Motive" skill to use to see if everything seems copacetic.
Kazmuk detects nothing amiss
"Darlings, I suggest we head to the meditation room with master Iatzu as soon as he's willing to show us his techniques, and then, if we have time, we can find the library, or if time is lacking, we can take a relaxing walk in the gardens. Of course, visiting the daily service should be our priority, we wouldn't want to miss Master Dakang's service, don't you think?", turns Rose to her companions, suggesting a course of action.
Ealasaid stoically finish eating the first and last bit of food. While using a hand to half cover her face, She turn her head and half of her body toward her companions so they can see that is not a good idea to eat
Zinthar is content to remain off to the side. He cannot help but admire the way Rose guides the conversation and their host to reveal information they need as well as plant seeds for future asks, and he is loathe to disrupt the flow of her efforts.
Instead he keeps his eyes on the other monks to gauge their reactions to what is happening around them.
The monk next to Ealasaid looks at her curiously. "Is something the matter?"
Zinthar finds nothing unusual; many monks mildly interested in some new arrivals but otherwise busy with their own interests in the food in front of them.
Ealasaid Waves her hand and just say-Don't worry
Kazmuk is curious now. He will take a bite of the food. Assuming that it tastes as has already been described Kazmuk will attempt another sense motive check. This time he is specifically looking for clues that the monks are somehow bluffing their enjoyment of the food.
The food tastes of ashes and dust to Kazmuk; however, again, the monks are consuming it with every sign of enjoyment.
Rose eats a piece of the food she recognizes.
Assuming it has the same dust and ash taste, she swallows with disgust, and attempts to mask it, then says to Iatzu, "Hm, unless my senses are mistaken, this food certaintly tastes Horrible! ...unfamiliar to me. Am I right to assume this is in order to synchronize with Korada's tenents to deny bodily pleasures? All of you seem to take such delight in following this particular tenet!"
Kazmuk thinks, "This is truly bizarre. Either these monks actually like this garbage, or they're the best actors in the world, or the food that got made for us tastes different than the food that was made for them. Which would really be strange because the entire batch appeared to have been made with the same spell."
After having tasted a small sample of the alleged food Kazmuk pushes the plate away and simply sits and watches the goings on.
Iatzu blinks for a moment, confused. "Erm... I am sorry, I do not understand." He looks concerned then asks "Does the food taste peculiar to your palate?" He looks over at Kazmuk. "Sir Dwarf?"
Kazmuk replies, "The food looks good, but the taste leaves a lot to be desired. In all honesty I would prefer my trail rations."
Absolute silence. As one, the monks stop eating and stare at Kazmuk with a mixture of consternation and horror. After a few awkward moments, Iatzu coughs gently and they return to eating, some still shooting concerned looks at Kazmuk and now everyone in the party. Iatzu swallows and asks, "The... the food tastes foul to you? Disgusting?"
"Ah. It appears I was mistaken, the life of a travelling scholar often means many tasteless trail rations, so these fruits must have caught me by surprise then. I apologise for refusing the hospitality, but I believe I am quite unable to eat anything right now."
Something magical is afoot here... A variation of Feast of Ashes, perhaps? Should probably try and find out more about this particular matter, but I'd rather not openly cast a common spell at the table... What if...
"Master Iatzu, may you direct me towards the... facilities?", says Rose, giving an innocent smile to the old man.
She then turns to Kazmuk and tries to relay the message "Wait here, be calm."
As soon as she has spent sufficient time, at the last possible opportunity before coming in sight, Rose casts Detect Magic and starts looking around the table, analyzing for magical auras.
Honest opinions are like buttocks, you...dwarf... Everyone has them, but they are not the thing to display at social gatherings... thinks Rose as she sends a chilly stare at Kazmuk.
Rose's lie manages to convince the monks and, much more relaxed, they resume eating. Iatzu replies "Ahhh, I see. Forgive our confusion. This food is from Korada and sacred, for it to taste vile could be a sign of most horrible apostasy or demonic contamination. I am very glad this is not the case." He does seem most sincerely glad; he looks along the table and finds a plate of plain bread and offers it to Kazmuk. "This bread is hearty but lacking in high tastes or concerns; perhaps it will satisfy?"
"Facilities...? Oh, that will be no concern. It is part of the nature of this plane, that such functions simply do not bother its residents. If you require washing, there are pools in the garden for such."
Some of the monks look a little oddly at Rose as she leaves that message to Kazmuk but are otherwise not concerned.
If Rose can, she'll cast Detect Magic at the first possible unobserved opportunity.
If she can't, she'll do it when observed by the least amount of people, and go with the excuse of being a scholar interested in otherworldly magic, who can't help her curiosity.
Afterwards, she focuses on the auras surrounding the table, and will engage in conversation with Iatzu.
Discreetly examining the table's auras, Rose identifies a Banquet Table of the Autumn Feast with no obvious abnormalities.
I Think We should go to the library now, I'm afraid we are not very knowledgeable about Korada, but that is something we should remedy as soon as posible
Karthan continues to glower. First at the food. Then at the walls around him. Then back at the food. Karthan obviously not being much of a conversationalist.