The side door and the front/main doors are the only "normal" entrances.
There is the log chute. You're just above the water line here at the side door. If you lowered yourself into the water and swam around the other side (sound familiar), you should see a chute just at the water line. Used to bring the logs into the mill from the water. Not really an advantage, but it is techincally a third entrance.
But if you don't want to check the main doors, are you going to enter in here? Or go back for your comrades?
Glancing towards the side door from the shadows, Quinn sees a flash of light as Master Loth slides the door open. Squinting to try and keep watch over the scouting pair, h8s weight shifts from foot to foot; thumbing the vial with the skull.
"Is it always this nerve wracking?" he whispers. "If they get in trouble...it'll take us a bit to get in there to help."
"Well, no screams nor sounds of fighting so far."
But Quinn is right... Depending on how far the two explored, it could take quite long to reach them.
I vote we regroup and get the gang, then enter together. Considering our avenues for stealth are limited and there's not really a lot more to be gained unless we sneak past the workers, which seems ill-advised.
Tarphrex nods, "OK. Together return to friends, sneak back, yes."
With no noise that even the two of you can hear, Loth and Tarphrex sneak away from the mill and back to their friends.....
.... and so begins the plotting.
Sherman spots the two small sneaky figures leaving the mill and approaching them.
"Welcome back, friends! I trust everything went well? What did you find there?"
Loth recounts what they've seen: a pretty ordinary looking sawmill ground floor with three people working it, and the winch used to lift stuff to the upper floor.
"I think that anything interesting about the operation is going to be on the upper floor, but I'm not sure we can stealth past the workers. I'm also not entirely convinced they're actually human, not after what happened over at Foxglove's. Because it's such an open space, stealthing is going to be hard, too. So I'm thinking maybe we should just get in, try to get to the upper floor, and if anything gets violent, we subdue 'em."
”Oh! How subdue and not kill? Hit on head, maybe?”
To make sure, in case I have failed to paint an accurate picture. The front doors would lead to a different level of the mill, bypassing the workers below. This, of course, leads to its own risks. I just wanted to make sure everyone can picture that in their mind.
Quickly scrawling a few notes; 'Not Human...Workers...Subdue' He vigorously stoes his notebook. The halfling readjusts his cloak, a vial brushing a stubby finger. "I can do sneaky, but I can't help anyone else in those regards." His eyes lighting up, he turns to Loth. "If needed I could fit in your pocket! Well...for a short time."
Scratching his chin, Quinn frowns. "I haven't deciphered the whole book yet...but I do have some 'less lethal' options..."
Glancing around the room he quickly interjects "But I'll just be careful."
"I wish we had a way to identify those... creatures from ordinary humans. They could be just normal hired hands as well.. So attacking them feels uncomfortable."
Sherman considers the situation, not liking the idea of perhaps harming some innocent people.
"How about the other doors, would they get us past the workers?"
Loth nods at Sherman. "I do agree with that, so if at all possible I'd like to, well, not harm them. Problem is, all the outside doors lead to the same big open sawmill floor, so if we want to get to the upper floor, the only way I can see is through them."
This is correct. Side door to lower level. Main doors to ground level. At least 2 more floors above that. No visible entrances to those floors, probably stairs on the inside.
So, presuming a bit here, Loth and Tarphrex sneak on back across the street to the main doors. They are locked, what with it being after hours and all that.
Try to pick the lock? Something else?
Did anyone else go with the scouts this time?
Loth attempts to pick the lock.
Whispering, ”Maybe Tarphrex try? Borrow Loth fancy tools?”
the most identification i can do is reading peoples auras for corruption or purity Alain mentions.
"Yeah, you might be more lucky than me. Give it a shot." Loth hands Tarphrex the tools.
Whispering, head bobbing, "Yes yes yes, dragon luck very strong!"
Murmuring, he points at the lock, "Tarphrex not do this much since dragon blood come stronger, but think you want this tool instead. Try like this..."
"Neat! That comes in handy sometimes I bet." Remarks Quinn to Alain. "I'm still a novice myself, but I love learning. One crazy recipe I learned makes me so small, I can squeeze through a 6" gap. Another mimics a touch of healing from the gods."
Nodding at Tarphrex's advice, he gives it another try.
So Loth and Tarphrex tinker with the lock, and after about a minute of trying, on his second attempt, Loth pops the lock.
I imagine Loth was expecting it to be a simple lock, as is on most buidlings of this sort. His second try, he was more prepared for the complexity of it. And Tarphrex was so close to getting it, he could inform Loth of a few tricks for this particular mechanism.
Cracking open the door, you see a dark room, lit only by the lamps from below. Since Tarphrex has darkvision, you still get the full description...
"Tarphrex sees no one. Will watch while you get friends, yes? Bring them here?"
"Sounds good. I'll be back in a second."
Loth moves to the rest of the group to signal that they can join in and takes them back to the doors.
No rolls required, you all get to the door.
Quinn quickly skitters through the shadows and up to the front door. Mentally recalling what vials he'd prepared, heart beating quickly.
Glancing towards the interior, he whispers, "After you. I don't see the greatest in the dark, but I'll keep a few paces behind."
Once the others reach the door, Tarphrex will slip in, knowing on his darkvision gives him an advantage over his friends. He pauses, inhaling deeply, fearing more of the stinky creatures that Foxglove had become might be here and hoping his nose will warn him...
If he sees no threats, he will wave his allies into the room so they can close the door.
Whispering, he tries to describe the room for those that cannot see the scene, "Stairs up to next floor near. Two big wagons by big noisy machines. Many ropes and things for moving wood in hole in ceiling. Tarphrex not see anyone. Tarphrex not smell more not-dead dead people like Foxglove."
ALright, since we're entering now, I've updated the map.
Page 9, tokens are added.
Tarphrex and Loth are at the doors, the others are kinda scattered behind them.
An important note on the maps of this mill. They don't match the descriptions. So don't look at these maps and be totally convinced that this is exactly what everything looks like. Use the descriptions. If you're unsure, just ask.
Get to hero-ing.
Loth strains his eyes a bit, trying to fit Tarphrex's description with the vague shapes in the darkness.
"Should we just go upstairs? Doesn't seem like there might be much here, but it's not like I can see anything at all, let alone anything interesting."
"Anything on those wagons?" Sherman asks, already scanning them from where he stands.
Whispering, "Can make light, but then you be seen. Tarphrex will look at wagons."
The little fellow skulks over to the wagons to investigate. He doesn't create any magical light yet.
One of the wagons is partially loaded with sawn boards, the other has two heavy tarps folded up in it with several coils of rope.
Tarphrex returns to the party, emerging from the dark like a little black ghost. To Sherman, he whispers, "Wood. Rope. Tarp. Upstairs?"
"Sounds good to me. Everyone else agree?"
"Right, doesn't look like much cultists' things, that cargo. Let's go up." Sherman agrees, waiting for the smaller ones to take point.
Tarphrex and Loth move carefully up the stairs, Tarphrex quietly sneezing once from all the sawdust in the air, before peeking over the edge of the stairwell to see into the room above.....
Tarphrex and Loth both notice a group of four workers near the back of the room. They have an oil lamp perched nearby and are huddled around a stump they are using as a table to play cards. The noise from the machinery below is less here, but still enough that they aren't looking towards the stairs after the sneeze.
Tarphrex pulls back from peering around the corner. Whispering to Loth, he says, "Other stairs right here, maybe sneak around corner and up new stairs."
He has an idea and peeks around again.
Tarphrex pulls back from peering around the corner. Whispering to Loth, he says, "Other stairs right here, maybe sneak around corner and up new stairs."
He has an idea and peeks around again.
It is unclear where the openings are. The map doesn't really line up with what is described.
So, do you want the openings to be above the card game? If so, then they are.
"Maybe go upstairs and watch card game from above. Distract when big folk come up."
He looks at Loth to see what he thinks of the idea.
Loth likes this plan. "That sounds like a good idea. The longer we can keep our friends hidden, the better. Plus, we might be able to eavesdrop a bit."
Loth'll move up the stairs after Tarphrex so the kobold can keep checking the place out with darkvision.
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So Loth and Tarphrex continue up the stairs to the next floor, move as queitly as the wood beneath their feet will allow....
...4 more workers are in this room. The saws and splitters are shut off, at the moment, and the four move about the machinery with rags and oil, or buckets of grease with laddles. Whetstones lie to one side for later use.
One of them stops what they're doing, and peers towards the staircase. They stare for a loooooooong moment, your hearts beating loudly in your ears, before one of the other workers chides them back to their job. But they still glance over on occasion.
What do you do?
Tarphrex lets a near silent groan pass. Whispers, "Is no good. Not know if workers just workers or workers bad men. No good."