Corran sings as Aurelia speaks her mind...
ROUND 3:
Xavien: Go
Ianthe: Go
Caryatid Columns: TBD
Corran: TBD
Aurelia: TBD
Kenton: TBD
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
Xavien holds up the edge of Koriana's Blade for inspection and grunts. "Huh. If you say so. Would be a shame for this beauty to lose her bite."
He looks about for anything heavy he can toss into the pit---a grandfather clock, perhaps, or a stone washing basin.
"Very well. Let us hope we need not return to this foyer soon. Kenton, be a dear and open that door will you?"
Xavien tosses an alchemist's fire down into the pit.
"That should keep them busy for a moment."
Kenton dutifully opens the door. Best to not bare steel inside unless absolutely necessary.
Xavien drops the flask atop one of the columns. It seems to be charring the stone!
ROUND 3:
Xavien: Greek Fire
Ianthe: Go
Caryatid Columns: TBD
Corran: TBD
Aurelia: TBD
Kenton: TBD
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
Ianthe will rush forward and open the door.
Ianthe opens the eastern door, remember that it's largely entertaining spaces this way. Straight ahead is a semi-enclosed library space that she remembers being well-stocked.
Unsurprisingly, none of the columns seems to be able to climb out.
ROUND 3:
Xavien: Greek Fire
Ianthe: Peldur!
Caryatid Columns: Stuck
Corran: Go
Aurelia: Go
Kenton: Go
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
Kenton moves through the opening Lady Clement has opened.
Kenton moves in. In the corner of the palace he spots at least a few guards. One makes eye contact with the cavalier, and instead of reaching for his blade, the man sits down on a bench and laces his fingers behind his head. He winks at Kenton, and then leans back and shuts his eyes.
ROUND 3:
Xavien: Greek Fire
Ianthe: Peldur!
Caryatid Columns: Stuck
Corran: Go
Aurelia: Go
Kenton: Standard
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
Aurelia moves with Kenton into the room.
Aurelia follows behind. The last time you were here it was standing room only. Now it feels like you're the only ones here (other than the guards who just don't care.) Lady Basri quickly sees that the Count didn't loot himself and leave. There are priceless valuables in the library space.
Kenton moves in. In the corner of the palace he spots at least a few guards. One makes eye contact with the cavalier, and instead of reaching for his blade, the man sits down on a bench and laces his fingers behind his head. He winks at Kenton, and then leans back and shuts his eyes.
ROUND 3:
Xavien: Greek Fire
Ianthe: Peldur!
Caryatid Columns: Stuck
Corran: Go
Aurelia: Move
Kenton: Standard
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
Kenton raises an eyebrow, as this is clearly not the greeting he was expecting. Nevertheless, he nods in response and moves toward the next set of double doors he can reach.
He can see further into the room where the guards are ignoring you. This massive, open space is tiled with marble and painted in rich, warm colors. Ten-foot-tall windowed doorways stand in the north, and plush benches line the east and west walls. The ceiling here is 40 feet overhead.
Corran stops his performance and moves to protect Aurelia, unconsciously putting himself between her and potential danger.
He readies an attack with his blade against any appearing hostile.
Corran relaxes his music, but not his attention.
ROUND 4:
Xavien: Go
Ianthe: Go!
Caryatid Columns: TBD
Corran: TBD
Aurelia: TBD
Kenton: TBD
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
[oor]Per Slack, okay to post.[/ooc]
Kenton rounds the corner and moves into the next room, looking about for signs of trouble.
Kenton rounds the corner to see a total of four guards relaxing. Two of them clearly had a view of your fight against the topiaries.
One of the guards stands up, and for a second Kenton thinks the guard has changed his mind, but no. "Oi, you're better for this place than the count. There's a secret door over here, and there's a trap inside the hall it leads to. I can open the door and disable the trap. It just goes to the kitchen and pantry, but you can get into the basement too. Just a warning, most of his men have deserted, some of us are going to, but he's still got some loyal men. You know, be careful."
ROUND 4:
Xavien: Go
Ianthe: Go!
Caryatid Columns: TBD
Corran: TBD
Aurelia: TBD
Kenton: Standard
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
To the guard, Will those statues continue to follow us once we're beyond the hallway? If there's a secret door, let's make haste through it. Thank you.
Ianthe motions the guard to proceed.
One of the guards yells around the corner so that Ianthe can hear the message, seemly unconcerned with the noise, "Don't know mate, he had those things installed when the desertions started happening a couple weeks back. They don't attack us though!"
The guard pulls a torch nearby to open up the secret door.
ROUND 4:
Xavien: Go
Ianthe: Go
Caryatid Columns: TBD
Corran: TBD
Aurelia: TBD
Kenton: Standard
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
With a nod and a grin, Kenton moves toward the no-longer-secret door.
Ianthe hustles through the room to the secret door.
Kenton and Ianthe move in. the secret door in the hallway wall is now obvious. The guard adds, "Woah! Hang on. Let me disable the trap too!"
He throws a switch and caps it off with, "Long live Eutropia!"
ROUND 4:
Xavien: Go
Ianthe: Double Move
Caryatid Columns: TBD
Corran: TBD
Aurelia: TBD
Kenton: Move
-----------------------------
Location: Palace of Birdsong
Xavien limps through the doors, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Once through, he shuts both doors.
Xavien shuts the doors, which for now keeps any threat of the columns at bay.
Still dripping blood onto the floor, Xavien approaches the guard. "Did Lotheed give you anything after those statues were installed? A brooch, or medallion perhaps?"
"My gods, the carpets!" Finally noticing the mess he is making all over the marble, he fishes out the wand again.
"More importantly, where is the lord of the house?"
"This is going to complicate things if he rabbited."
Can I make an Sense Motive Check against what I know of Lotheed even if he's not here? Is he the kind of guy who would run instead of face us?
"Nope, he's upstairs. And no, he didn't give us anything. They don't attack us though. He did say that if they ever come after us to forcefully say 'Taldaris, glory in his name', but not why."
"Aha! Thankee, thankee good sirs. For your trouble." He flips a gold coin to each of the guards. "Before we descend, friends, let us at least know what can be found here, should we need it. And remember that we have another thing to find, besides his Lordship."
Xavien scans the library (et al.) with a cantrip.
Xavien finds that there is a magic in the library, though in a locked drawer. There's also a lot here that could easily fund your missions for a while:
The library features a number of antiques
on display, including:
"Impressive," Xavien whistles at the timepiece.
"Ladies, what make you of this quill?"
Xavien inspects the locked drawer carefully, wary of traps.
That timepiece is worth about 1,200 Gp. the drawer isn't trapped.
I'll take a look, Xavien.
"Not trapped... aha! Damian's cousin mentioned something about this desk. There's a little lever somewhere on the side... here!"
Ianthe can tell it's a royal quill, worth more than a peasant sees in a year, but standard for royalty. They cost about 500 Gp.
Xavien pops open the desk drawer to reveal two magic items. the first is a seemingly innocuous pair of glasses. The second is an intricate gold headband, decorated with several small blue and deep purple gemstones.
Ianthe casts Detect Magic and examines the two finds.
Powerful artifacts. I don't think any among us will be able to ascertain their function.
..Indeed.
Aurelia studies along with her old schoolmate.
Aurelia can't figure them out either.
"I need more time to study it. Let's keep going."
"Hold up."
Corran hums a silly little tune about sexy librarians. When he gets to the place where the obvious rhyme is... Impolite but exciting... He stops singing and his eyes glow faintly.
Casts Identify...
The headband continies to elude the party, but the glasses are Spectacles of Understanding
Corran squints at the headband before handing both items back to Aurelia.
"We'll need to work a little harder for the band. Let's move. Time for a change in leadership."
Kenton has been studying the now-ajar secret door while his friends work on the magic items.
He can see all the way down. there's a window at the far side, and some doors that lead into the palace proper. There is a staircase leading down.
After the others have done what they can to grok the magic items, Xavien returns to the hallway with the statues. As one raises its blade to attack, he shouts: "Taldaris, glory in his name!"
"Sir Kenton, perhaps we should endeavor to search the above-ground floors first. There is no telling how deep the basements may go. Shall we take that door all the way at the back?"
Xavien shuts down the columns, which were indeed moving towards the party.
Xavien heads to the furthest door down the narrow hallway and looks it over before opening it.
Now you find some stairs down...
Xavien gives the vestibule a quick lookover.