"I'm not so sure how I feel about leaving all of these lights on." Ayalina mutters. "Think they'll run out of fuel? Or are they magical in nature?" Or are we accidentally marking our passage as we go for some other, unknown party?
"If you run, we can wait for you, but I'm not responsible for the Boogeyman snatching you in the dark!" Tiber chuckles.
Noticing the light under the door, his face darkens. "Be on your guard, might have company..."
Creeping slowly forward with his shield raised, he heads for the door and places his ear against it.
________
"I'm not sure what was supposed to go here, but it's not mechanical like a lock," the noble says to Tiber as he backs away from the bathroom door.
He moves on down the hall and to the next door with the woodsman. "Or we might have turned on the lights," he comments with a smile as he leans his ear to the door.
Thalasou is caught up with searching around so that he doesn't notice everyone else has moved on. "Hey guys," he says without looking around. "These are such a mess. If we straighten them up a bit, we might find something..." He looks up. Everyone is gone. "Hmph. Well, I guess we'll have to come back here," he says to himself. Then he takes a few steps into the other room to catch up with Ayalina and Delena.
"What are they doing?" He points in to the other room where Pavo and Tiber are. "Did they find something?"
"Equally uninteresting corridor. Though the light under the door makes it a bit more promising", Delena answers to Thalasou, sounding quite bored.
She lifts her viper around her neck, and takes the book of spells in her hand, then joins Pavo and Tiber.
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Pavo and Tiber seem to think the place is safe, and open the final door. A wooden counter juts from the northwest corner of this 30' x 30' chamber. Open cabinets of dusty liquor bottles stand behind the bar, while one cabinet remains tightly sealed with a visible lock. Three tables with adjacent chairs fill much of the room. Portraits of posing nobles and historical scenes adorn the walls, all faded with age. Doors exit to the south and east. Like the other three rooms, this one has a panel of brass and green glass near the door.
"So there's no way out, at least not a visible one?" Delena says in astonishment. She walks through the room, and sits on one of the chairs at the bar. "At least we won't die of thirst, though the vintage may be too old for even the finer wines", she says as she looks around the room.
She gestures at the pictures on the walls. "Fourth army of exploration. I saw some of the same people at the senate."
"Is it now?" Pavo comments as he moves into the room and vaults the bar.
He positions himself in front of the locked cabinet and pulls out a set of fine tools, which he begins to insert into the lock. "At least we will have plenty of time to search for secret doors out of this place. I can't imagine that some wizard teleported his servants in and out of this area, well, I can, in Nidal maybe, but I don't want to," he says as he works.
Thalasou nods. "Yep. Nice historical pieces. I wonder why they're here." He wanders around the room looking at things casually. "It seems strange. This place. You know, there were all of those boxes in the other room. If we straighten all of that up we might find something."
"Like... a door inside one of the boxes?" Pavo asks with a wry smile.
”If we can’t find anything else here, we might as well,” Tiber says, a little annoyed at the development. After testing the panel to verify if it functions like the others, he inspects the paintings.
”Ever wonder if the 4th Army was hiding something from us?” he asks, giving a slight pause before taking them down from the walls. ”I’ll have a glass if anyone decides to open one up. Any quality product stored away over there?”
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If I ever got such a deranged place for myself, I would probably like the entrance to be in this room. I wouldn't like my guests to come through servant's quarters or my bedroom, Delena thinks aloud.
She gives Tiber a doubting look. "Well, if you are brave enough. Let me see if there's something that tends to stay good forever," she says, and moves behind the bar to check the bottles. While watching, she pulls the key out of her pocket and taps Pavo on the shoulder with it. "After you've done your exercise, you could try this."
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After a few seconds, Pavo realizes this lock may be beyond his skills, and Tiber has a similar level of success with the wall panel and his search of the paintings.
At first, Delena thinks her search will prove just as pointless, as every bit of liquor has either evaporated away or turned sour. She eventually finds two bottles of whiskey that remain sealed in wax, though. And behind those bottles she finds a wand and some sort of very expensive looking spoon.
"It's just strange is all," Ayalina frowns. Still, they discern that they're... in some sort of closed circuit of rooms. Given that they've plenty of time, she takes the opportunity to try examining one of the lights. "Oh, I see... like an improved continual flame..." she notes before turning her attention to the portraits.
"There must be some sort of reason for this," Ayalina says. "No one would create something like this for no reason... And its insular design..."
"I think we were right that this is some sort of safe room, like the hidden rooms beneath floors to hide from guards in stories and such, except on a decidedly greater scale," Ayalina suggests. "Like the secret passages in castles and the safe rooms you hear about in the stories about nobles on the run or romance gone awry. Who knows, maybe there is another secret door or something amidst that mess?"
"So these panels are all set to light up the rooms people are about to enter and not necessarily the room they're in? That seems a bit odd."
Then, grimacing, she realizes, "We're going to want to at least dust things off some if we're to stay here until we figure this out."
--
Knowledge rolls
Perception
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"Delena," Pavo asks, "How big was that key you found? Before I try an advanced entry technique I learned from a Pathfinder."
He taps the locked cabinet.
"A safe room..." Tiber says to himself. "So safe that you can never leave!" he jokes, but his expression sours slightly. Damn, if we can't figure out how to leave, that might as well be true.
"What do we know so far? We have the lights, some worn paintings, a room full of junk... We could try turning them all off or on, see if a hidden door opens up?" he suggests, clearly spit-balling.
Delena takes a quick look at the wand and the spoon. "Haven't seen such before. Anyone else?", she asks and puts them on the bar table.
"About this size", Delena answers Pavo while showing the key. She tries it on the cabinet lock.
"So you all think that this is a 'safe room' that some wizard teleports into? Seems a bit elaborate for that. It seems like this whole space was designed for more than one person. I mean, we have one room with a solitary bed, one room with six individual beds, a storage room, and a kitchen." Thalasou walks around to behind the counter. "If these things weren't drinks and stuff catering more for adults, I'd say that this was more like a boarding house for orphans. But still, what is the purpose?"
He glances at the wand and spoon that Delena holds. "No idea." He focuses on both the wand on the spoon for a few moments, trying to absorb any magical energy emanating from them. "I can't figure anything out with them."
After a moment he continues. "I'm going to go back to the storage room and start cleaning it up. Maybe something will become obvious."
He moves through the bunk room to the storage room.
"Oh, I'll come with you," Ayalina volunteered, moving to follow Thalasou. "I'm probably not much use with the finer things here. My fingers are only talented when it comes to music, I'm afraid."
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"Well, alright then, advanced entry techniques it is," Pavo says. He draws out his dagger and begins the tedious process of carving out the wood around the cabinet lock.
Tiber shrugs and follows Thalasou, but not before claiming both bottles of alcohol, the spoon, and the wand. No use leaving these hear, whatever they do. "I can't come up with anything else, might as well sort that room to follow your lead, Thalasou!"
In the storage room Thalasou starts to move some of furniture around to clear out space. He stacks up several of the boxes and crates that have fallen down.
"So my choices are watching woodcarving or warehouse labor? I'll take the carving. Maybe there's a gateway to Abyss there and Pavo needs a hand", Delena says.
"We could use some leverage at the door breaking, let me see... she says as she looks around the bar room for a suitable tool.
[dice=Perception]1d20 + 3[/b]
"I wouldn't say no to a crowbar," he says with a chuckle.
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After a few tenuous scrapes, Pavo realizes that his dagger is likely to break before the cabinet's wood. Delena's quick search doesn't turn up anything useful, either.
Organizing and searching the boxes takes roughly an hour, but does provide some help. Behind the boxes is a beautiful fresco depicting Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, battling the dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains. Inside the boxes are three daggers, two longswords, a halberd, a masterwork rapier, 12 masterwork darts, and a masterwork suit of studded leather armor.
Frowning as the wooden cabinet rebuffs his blade, he makes his way to the storage room to assist in the searching. "I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised that someone willing to invest in a magical safe house would enchant their locked cabinet with some sort of fortifying magic," he says as he arrives.
As the weapons are revealed, Pavo brightens a moment. "Oh, this is nice," he says, picking up the rapier and drawing the blade part way from the sheath. "Anyone mind if I keep this in case someone or something untoward finds us before we find our way out?"
With time marching on, he offers, "If you want to get some rest, I take the first watch. For rats or ghosts."
Tiber wipes the light sheen of sweat from his forehead. "I think tucking away for the night seems wise. As much as I hate being stuck in here, we don't seem to have a choice. A watch is equally wise since it seems we were placed here for some reason," he says. "I'll take whichever watch is left, haha I dislike all of them equally!"
________
Thalasou takes a moment to see if the weapons are magical then replies to Pavo and Tiber. "I'm also flexible. I'll take any watch."
"Well, if you lot aren't going to be picky about it, I'll take the last one, shall I?" Ayalina says cheerfully. After a moment, she asks, "Where will we bed down? I suppose we could try clearing the dust from the servants quarters..."
"Disriana could use a rat if you see one, Pavo" Delena says, petting her viper.
"It might be wiser to be in one room, considering we were almost killed in the senate room. A pity that the only good bed would go unused. Anyway, wake me up when it's my turn. At least there's something to read here." Delena walks to the master bedroom and looks for the first mildly interesting book.
"As much as I'd love that big bed all to myself, I think the first room we were in is our best bet for sleep and defense," Tiber says. "Just wake me up when it is my turn."
Prior to getting into bed, he strips down, fluffs his pillow, and tucks his shield under the bed for ease of access. Sleep greets him almost immediately upon landing. During his shift, he turns the lights on in the two adjacent rooms, but keeps the sleeping room dark while he stands where he can see down both corridors.
Pavo drifts from room to room as the others prepare for bed. He keeps an illusory lantern floating just behind himself as he patrols. Occasionally, he pauses to inspect the liberated rapier and its craftsmanship.
"I didn't expect to end up sleeping in this dress, such evenings usually happen in some other locations than a senate", Delena says as she removes her jewels and the most restrictive parts of her dress. She places them neatly under the bed, as well as her books and other gear. Her viper coils itself in the stack of cloth, and Delena gets in the bed. "At least every bed bug will have died of starvation long ago here, unlike in most beds offered to travelers."
On her watch, she doesn't bother getting all dressed up, she only takes her books and viper along. Most of the watch she spends sitting in the master bedroom listening, taking a patrol tour through the other rooms at irregular intervals.
Thalasou finds a bunk and crawls into it. It seems that he's barely asleep before Pavo is waking him up.
"What? Oh. It's my shift?" He yawns and stretches before standing up from the bed. "Ok. I'm on it."
He spends the rest of his shift keeping watch. When it's time, he approaches the sleeping form of Delena and then realizes that he doesn't quite know how to wake her up. He blushes at the idea of touching her shoulder while she sleeps. That seems so, well, intimate. Maybe he can just nudge her toe? If he calls her name loud enough to wake her, then it might wake others up. Finally he comes up with a different idea. He gently bumps the side of the bed a few times, hoping that the movement will wake her.
"Delena? Delena? It's your turn," he whispers.
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During everyone's search of the storage room, Martella sends another telepathic missive: "Gloriana Morilla's allies from the Pathfinder Society secured us a way out of the senate building! This is an organized force!"
A third message interrupts your research of the light panels, "Out of the senate. Stavian's soldiers still pursuing. Fighting throughout the entire senate building. Wherever you are, keep your heads down!"
Unfortunately for everyone except Pavo, several more messages keep waking them up during the bard's shift.
"Not all military are with Stavian. Assassins seem to be a collection of foreign agents. City guard is in chaos. Lion Blades and Eutropia's allies fighting back in the senate."
"Stavian's forces retreating, military is divided. Maxillar Pythareus seen moving with impunity through Stavian's assassins."
"Out of the senate building. Guiding a dozen or so of the servants to a safe haven."
And one final, interrupted message wakes everyone during Thalasou's watch, "Reached safe house. It's located at the Dignif--"
The rest of the night passes in bittersweet silence, both inside and outside the safe house, with no way to tell whether the lack of news and events is good or bad.
"While I had my fill at the party," Pavo says after dressing fully, "I would really prefer to not miss breakfast. I'm going to go scour the bar for a way out."
He heads into the bar and begins to search every nook, cranny, and crevice.
"That very well could have been the worst night of sleep I've had in recent history. Holy Hell. Any ideas what the Dignif is, could be, or was?" Tiber asks the room as he pulls his boots on, right then left.
"I'll scour the bar for some food!" he adds in, pulling his shirt over his head and strapping his shield to his arm. Then to the storeroom after that, no sense following a s+&# night with a s%!~ breakfast!
Rubbing at her eyes, Ayalina shakes her head. "I don't think she was able to say the whole thing. It sounded almost as though she stopped mid syllable, don't you think?"
While Pavo and Tiber go in seek of food, Ayalina takes a few minutes in the washroom, giving the room another quick search in case they'd missed something the first time. Satisfied with her findings, she freshens up and checks to see if there is water.
Delena wakes up and eagerly starts to get ready. "The game is on, we'd better get back on the board. I'm not even sure how many players there are now", she says. She gets up and still in her undergarments joins Ayalina in the washroom. She cleans her face, and brushes through her hair with her fingers, smoothing the few knots from the night. "Days like these I'm so grateful of my hair, it's always so easy to straighten. Takes ten pounds of pins to do any kind of fancy hairdo, though", she comments to Ayalina.
She returns to the bedroom put on her dress. She picks it up, and the viper curled inside it slithers off to the floor, and up her leg when she put the dress on. "Pavo, Tiber, have you found anything? We have the whisky, but it's kind of strong for breakfast if we have to fight or socialize", she shouts while knotting the laces of the dress.
After getting the bit of breakfast the men found, Delena walks to the master bedroom to prepare for the day. She begins by reading her spellbooks, and later moves on to examine the bookshelf for any clues about the place or other interesting books. Her viper slithers along the shelves, also reading book titles and hissing occasionally when finding interesting ones.
Action: Searching the bookshelves
After Martella's message and changing shifts with Delena, Thalasou struggles to get to sleep. Eventually he drifts off into fitful slumber until he's woken in the morning.
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep well either Tiber. I don't know if it was good or bad that we didn't get any more messages after that dignif one. I think Ayalina is right though. She sounded cutoff."
Thalasou averts his eyes from looking at Delena in her undergarments as she rises and moves to the washroom. Then he goes out to the bar room with Pavo and Tiber to help look for food.
"Finding anything? Did any food just magically appear overnight? That would be nice."
During her morning studies, Delena walks to the bar, a book open in her hand. "There has to be something hinting at the logic of this place in the books. Construction plans, or diary entries, or something," she grumbles.
She sits purposely close to Thalasou, and leans toward him. "Do you now dare to look at me? I didn't expect to be quite so frightening to look at", she says to him in a honeyed voice. "If the situation is as bad as Martella says, you will have to get used to seeing things even scarier than my legs."
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Tiber, Ayalina and Thalasou's searches fail to turn up anything new. Pavo's search also fails, but at least has the virtue of taking a couple hours to make sure nothing was missed. Fortunately, Delena has a fresh mind and some clues--references to Taldor's Fourth Army of Exploration--for her second go at the bookshelf. She quickly locates a hollowed out book containing a small, curved piece of rectangular glass.
Frowning at their overall lack of successes, she turns her mind to what they'd discovered the day prior.
"Did we ever check that scroll case you found, Pavo?" she announces herself by way of questions as she moves to the bar area. "And what about those things you found yesterday, dear Lady? They were a bit odd, weren't they? Perhaps we would benefit from another look?"
With nothing to serve for breakfast, Tiber has found himself nursing the bottle of whiskey from behind the bar. Better than nothing. Gods I hope I don't die in this place. It's like a fancy prison for wizards.
"I'mma gonna go search anuther room, yeah?" he informs the others while they fiddle with the spoon and some rolled paper, his face getting just a little flush.
Still steady on his feet, he takes the bottle with him and ventures off into the big bedroom. Staring at the large bed for several moments, he eventually shakes his head and begins to looks the table and bookshelves over.
________
Thalasou blushes with Delena's attention. "Uh. Well. No, I don't mind looking at you. I mean, I like looking at your legs. No wait. That's not what I meant." Thalasou blushes even brighter as his words just come out all wrong. He stammers for a moment or two then gives up.
"I think I'll see if I can figure out that spoon and wand we looked at yesterday."
After a moment his eyes light up. "Hey! This wand can create food and water. Should I give it a try?"
"Piece of glass? There must be something into this", Delena wonders and peers through the glass at various things at the master bedroom, as well as the paintings in the bar.
"Go ahead, make me a pie" she says to Thalasou as she continues examining the glass. "Oh, and the spoon is sustaining! Of course, something food related", she cheers as she finally connects the arcane hints she had found out.
"Oh, good, I'm glad we've found something, then!" Ayalina cheers. "Why don't you test the things out? I'll go and find Tiber before he wastes his morning appetite on that whiskey."
She gives her skirts a quick shake - unlike Delena, she'd slept in the entire messy ensemble and it was still regaining its natural shape - and moved towards the big bedroom.
"Tiber," she calls ahead, "We've found some kind of magical means for food!"