"Well, at least the floor didn't fall out from under it. Can't be too bad," Rossana says. Then she hops on into the room, crouching dramatically as she lands and waits a moment, her tail swishing a little at the display.
Rossana hops into the room either unconcerned about a potential trap or simply for the excitement of taking risks. Either way, once inside the room nothing happens.
With the concern of a potential trap Marcus takes a look around at the floor.
Like Otavio, he doesn't see any signs of actual danger. Apparently, whatever Bimble is detecting must not be dangerous.
A surprised yelp from Sara, imagining all the potential horrors about to hit their own noblewoman... but nothing. "Hmmm..."
"So get the little raven statue? What does it do?"
"Dun, dun DUN!" Rossana straightens with a grin. "All good. Do you recognize any of these texts, Bimble?" she asks, moving over to one of the bookcases.
Otavio vents his nerves by exhaling deeply once it's clear that Rossana's isn't about to be torn apart by a magical trap. "Okay, so far so good. Now, let's refrain from opening anything that might be locked? Perhaps we can avoid being blown right into Pharasma's embrace."
Looking through the display cases without touching anything this chamber houses numerous antiquities, most claimed from lands conquered or visited by the Armies of Exploration—orc scarificators, Kellid war drums, a ceremonial Brevan scabbard—all broken and faded from time. The items stored include dwarven mining equipment, a stone-and-gem chunk from an elven aiudara gateway, the bone totem of an Isgeri shaman, a silver statue in the shape of a raven and even an inert technological gadget from distant Numeria.
Finding things that may be of value you locate within the shelves assorted cultural trophies you think would be worth 500 gp, weighing 10 pounds. Along with these items is the single magical item, that the group finds to be a figurine of wondrous power (silver raven).
Otavio won't stop Bimble but nonetheless feels the need to voice his concern. "Be careful, Master Gnome. I feel bad saying this to someone obviously many times my age and intelligence, but this room "
Capricia accompanies Marcus to the door Bimble pointed out. She stands guard while he does his usual trap-seeking.
Sara picks up the wayward head, bounces it her upturned hand and says "We can try throwing it at the display case. The trap might be in touching the case itself instead of the floor. But later."
She stuffs the head under her arm. Never know when you might need to throw something. And follows the others.
As you prepare to check the eastern door you suddenly hear Martella's voice in your heads again. “Out of the senate. Stavian’s soldiers still pursuing. Fighting throughout the entire senate building. Wherever you are, keep your heads down!”
Marcus checks the door not finding any threats Capricia swings it open. A fearsome winged beast poses ferociously in the southeastern corner of this square room. Two wolves stand in similar poses in the northern corners, while an immense coiled serpent poises itself in the southwestern corner, ready to strike. A small elephant stands in the center of the room, its head drooping far too low, and the top of its neck torn open. Thick cords of rope hoist avian creatures of every size along the ceiling, with an impressive eagle-like creature taking up the most space above. Another door exits to the north.
Rossana glances up unconsciously as the voice enters her head. "Still stuck in some kind of...safe house? Safe for now, though."
"A weapons gallery, a banquet gallery, a trophy gallery, and now an animal gallery," Rossana comments, studying one of the wolf statues. "Maybe this noble was a collector of sorts."
Her eyes drift to the elephant. "Seems someone damaged the elephant just like the single mannequin in the other room. A connection, maybe?" Curious, Rossana will try and get into a spot to see if there are circles around the damaged area.
"Circles, circles, everywhere." Sara hums, while waiting for Bimble to tell them that it is safe. Then she'll wander around the exhibits with Rossana.
Otavio shakes his head at the sight of the poor elephant. Not only was it stuffed after being killed, no, but it also had to be vandalized as well. "Clinging to past victories like this ought to be seen as a sign of mental incontinence, the involuntary act of leaking dignity and respect. If one or more of these poor creatures turn to live as we enter, I'll be sure to find out who lived here and spill the worst possible wine I can find on his or her grave. Life is not to be made a mockery of ..."
Apparently, something hit a nerve.
Sara looks to Otavio, eyes a little wide in surprise. "That was... beautiful." Other than that, the normally babbling brook of a baker is speechless.
As Bimble scans the room for magic he finds three aura's. One each on the wolves in the northern corner and a final one on the eagle like creature hanging from the ceiling. He notes the aura's are a moderate transmutation aura.
Otavio tries to hold back a smile but fails to do so. Sara's kind words manage to touch both his heart and his vanity. "Words of wisdom, master Bimble. That way we might avoid personal suffering and the need to destroy what little dignity these creatures still possess."
"Circles, circles, everywhere." Sara hums, while waiting for Bimble to tell them that it is safe. Then she'll wander around the exhibits with Rossana.
Capricia briefly considers replying to Martella's voice but figures she has little to report at this time. Like Sara, she takes note of Octavio's musings. If they hadn't referred to incontinence, then Capricia might've agree they were beautiful, but....
The fighter keeps her sword at the ready, just in case Bimble's right about the wolves being dangerous.
Rossana sighs as she looks toward the neck, but decides that Bimble was most likely right and doesn't climb on its back. "So to the north, then?"
After a brief look inside Rossana steps back out and follows the others on Bimble's suggestion to the north.
Marcus moves up to the door and looks it over.
Not finding anything Capricia pushes it open. On the other side is a hallway that runs east to west. However with no light on Capricia she can only see a few feet before it ends in darkness.
Sara follows quickly... "Don't forget we want to go back to... look at that Raven, sometime." she reminds Bimble, but follows quickly, also eager to find at way out. Sunlight will be nice.
"This place is kind of big for a safe house," Rossana comments as she follows.
Checking the door, Marcus gives the all clear, Capricia goes to open the door. Intricate banners hang motionless against a wooden pillar in the center of this room. Wooden racks line the south and west walls, each bearing up a unique banner of its own. Two additional banner racks lie on the floor in the northeastern corner of the room, their flags pulled away and inked with dozens of circles. One other door exits this room to the east, likely back into the wax statue room.
Bimble checks for magic in the room and doesn't find any.
After seeing all the different circles and notations you still have no idea what they mean but you identify the work of someone with a brilliant, if untrained, mathematical mind.
The banners in this room belong to old regiments of the Taldan Phalanx, various baronies, and a few foreign allies. Most of the banners here belong to disbanded regiments and have little value beyond the historic purpose they still serve. Beyond their historical notability, the banners serve no purpose other than another pompous display of Taldan military supremacy.
"So many houses. And yet, so few are still around," Rossana comments, looking a bit saddened at that. "But to have yet another gallery of sorts. Who would have owned such an extensive assortment of goods, yet leave so much behind at the end?"
Sara thinks hard on the circles but draws another blank. Instead she moves to Bimble to talk about banners "Yes! But it also needs to pull away for history, away from being suffocated by it like it seems we have been for so long. Something to say we need came from greatness but need to move forward as well."
"All these circles...could they be someone's attempt at complex mathematical equations perhaps?"
"If it's something to do with math, then maybe they're estimating the value of each room?"
"I like it!" Sara nods, eyes alight in the possibilities "Princess Eutropia is our hope, our riposte against tyranny!" she shrugged at her own words, knowing it was weak but wanting to put some fencing terms in if the rapier was to be a highlight. She should have paid more attention to her lessons.
"Math? How are circles math?" poor Sara had very few lessons in regards to mathematics.
Otavio listens to what's being discussed and weighs the merits of all that's being said. "I suppose so, Capricia, but math and its derivatives aren't exactly my forte. And, ha, for someone obsessed with circles, these rooms are awfully square to be going round about."
He can't help but grin when the sage gnome gets done by his race's penchant for obsessing. "We should bring it along and if, the good Gods willing, we meet up again with the Princess we can propose the idea to her?"
"It must be so chaotic out there right now. Especially as word spreads through the city."
Though still going about his duty to his companions, Marcus's attention has been mostly in his own head. He's so unsure of how he found himself in this place, mixed up in the very politics (and the dangers that come along with them) that he has for so long tried to avoid.
"I'm not sure Bimble," he says, surprising himself. "Are you sure that today isn't a sign that we should tear it all down? Tear down the things that have led us to where we are today? When you really think about it, was our history really that much more grand than our present? Perhaps for some, but not for people like us. I'm not saying that we may need to rely on history to rally some people in this obvious moment of need—I guess I just want to be careful that we don't fall back into old ideas too quickly, because I'm not sure those old ideas were that good in the first place."
Marcus looks around, a bit surprised that all the thoughts circling in his head came out all of a sudden, and worried that he's said too much.
Bimble heads toward the display room casting a spell and giving a command. He waits a moment you see the display case with the silver raven inside begin to open then you hear a zzizzt sound from the floor in the room and the display case promptly clangs shut.
Seeing things in action Bimble identifies the spell as a modified version of Shocking Grasp. The floor doesn't seem to currently have any residual electrical charge.
Marcus nods at Bimble and approaches, pulling out a set of tools. He tries to find the right way to disable the trap.
"Try it again!" Capricia urges Bimble. "Perhaps that trap takes a few moments to reset!"
"Electricity does not go well with my fur. It takes forever to reign it all back in afterward," Rossana states, watching the trick.
Sara looks worried as she waits to see if Marcus gets fried. He has such strong ideals and opinions, she would hate to see them leaking out of his ears.
Marcus checks the room, now knowing that opening the case seems to trigger the trap. He finds the mechanism on the case and traces it back to the device that fires the trap. He fiddles with the mechanisms for a time but he isn't confident he rendered the trap disabled.