Kizzy watches Lavanor and scout move across the open street and disappear into the shadows as the follow Camil. The wait seems like an eternity, but Kizzy knows it has only been a few moments. She tries to be patient.
Camil breathes out, and focuses again on the lock...
And shakes his head, making his way back to the others, seeing Lavanor, he stops peering oddly from the shadows around himself. Door's well-locked in the back, let me try this one.
He examines the door, looking for traps and seeing none, continues
At the lower door, Camil can hear machinery grinding, whirring, and clattering. It's so loud he doubts anyone could hear him even if he beat on the door.
Camil sneaks back up to Lavanor, These locks are really tough, It'll take me a while to get into it, can you let the others know that it'll be a minute or ten... he then returns to the door.
The door lock finally clicks, it is unlocked. (Which door are you working on?)
The entirety of this first floor consists of a loading area. An opening in the ceiling into the floor above is filled with a tangle of ropes and slings for lowering timber. Nearby, a flight of stairs ascends to the next floor. Two sturdy wagons sit to the south, next to a bank of machinery accessed by four low doors; the grinding and creaking of the machinery fills the room.
The door at long last open, Camil returns to the party waving then all forward to the back door which he’s gotten opened.
Everyone moves on down and sees the room as described. The machinery on the lower floor makes a bunch of noise and makes it impossible to hear if anyone is just moving about or even talking.
Runt peers into the room and enters, trying to remain unnoticed by hiding under a table.
Kizzy follows the others as they approach the cacophony of sounds. She waits for their warriors to enter and then will follow.
Everyone makes their way into the room. The only exits are the loading bay doors they just entered and a set of stairs going up. The floor is covered in sawdust, old scrap pieces of wood lie in a separated area to the east side of the building and a few boards currently reside in the wagons.
Looks about.
There are magical auras below you and above you.
There are three of them below you somewhat spread out. There are four of them above you. Three are on top of one another, the other is separate by about 10'.
The three below: faint, necromancy
Separate one above: faint necromancy
The three together: moderate necromancy and enchantment, faint transmutation, and faint conjuration
Camil points at the staircase up, and slowly begins making his way up it, his skin and clothing blending into the wood in a mildly nauseating way...
says just loud enough to be heard, "There is magic above you... be careful as it is stacked on top of each other"
Runt remains hidden a bit longer, but when Camil starts heading up the stairs she moves to follow.
Camil heads up the stairs with Runt close behind. They come up to an enclosed landing with a set of stairs that continues up and a single door leading out of the landing.
Runt takes a moment to cast false life and heightened awareness.
Then readies a scroll of wrath after stashing her weapon.
Concerned what might be upstairs, Lavanor follows Camil and Runt.
Casts invisibility from a scroll and heads up behind the shield wall.
Isabella lags behind a bit since she's neither invisible nor silent.
Listening intently, the lead investigators can hear nothing above the sound of the machinery below.
Camil creeps forward to the door on the second story, and quietly inspects and tests it to see if it is unlocked. Once he's ascertained that the door is safe, he'll back away and indicate for the others to open the door.
He finds it unlocked. Runt opens the door with Lavanor close behind her. The large storeroom is filled with stacks of timber, firewood, and other finished lumber products waiting for shipment. A network of pulleys on tracks covers the ceiling, ropes dangling here and there to aid in the shifting of inventory as needed. Machinery churns along the south wall, while nearby two chutes fitted with winches allow lumber to be hauled up from the holding pools below. Four openings in the ceiling lead to the upper floor; chutes extend through each of these from the log splitters in the room above. Under each opening is a collection bin.
Runt starts to relax, thinking that just maybe nobody will be home. Still, it only makes sense to make sure and she gives a nod to Camil to continue.
Continuing to climb the stairs, Camil peers into the next floor and enters, waving the others to follow as quietly as they can!
Kizzy continues to follow along, hoping the churning machines hide any noise she makes… stealth was never her strong suit. She waits and prepares for the inevitable moment when someone or something hostile appears.
Camil heads up with everyone following behind. He gets to the next landing, stairs continuing up, but also two doors to inspect; one to the south and one to the east.
Runt is right on her trail, trying her best to keep quiet, but less concerned now that they have passed through so many rooms. She is becoming dangerously relaxed.
Camil will flip a coin, and seeing the result, open the south door either way after checking it for locks and traps.
The floor of this room has a thick carpet of sawdust, penetrated by two large log splitters and saws set up over openings in the floor. Another pair of openings is fitted with winches and ropes to raise and lower uncut lumber from below.
Isabella continues to follow, though lagging behind slightly.
Just that one door to check and then, I guess, we try the basement.
As Runt opens the other door (accusing you since you mentioned it) she finds it is a closet. Inside is a rack of robes. All are bright red with yellow-gold markings (see pic to the right of the closet). She also spots an open topped barrel in the back of the closet. Curiosity winning her over she slides past the robes to look; jackpot. The barrel contains three bags of 100 gp, three potions of barkskin +3, a beautiful crystal decanter set with an obsidian stopper worth 300 gp, and a tiny wooden box containing three poorly cut diamonds worth 200 gp each.
"Found some gems and stuff. And some disguises, I think. Or what could be disguises if we wanted to use them."
Run shows off the ill-gotten gains, not in the least feeling guilty for looting the place.
Kizzy smiles, Well, isn't that interesting, looking at the garments. She then casts detect magic, and surveys the loots.
None of the items beyond he potions are magical, though this does explain how you identified them.
These appear to be robes of the cult of Norgorber.
"Man, those things look like they came from a Norgorber convention. They must hold meetings here. Perhaps in the basement. They really like basements. Dank, moldy, dreary, depressing basements."
Runt does not particularly like priests of Norgorber.
"They really are the worst, aren't they?" says Isabella agreeably.
Common Knowledge: Norgorber is the patron of thieves and assassins
Well a Norgorber cult would fit with the creatures description...shall we continue on?
"Here put one of these on. They will make good disguises and might give us the element of surprise if it gets ugly."
Runt takes out a bunch of robes and hands them out to whomever they fit.
When she discovers there is nothing that fits her, she mumbles some annoyance.