If this was the escape contingency of some dead noble house, I expect they'd want to escape into some comfort. It's not that surprising, if you think about it, Leo.
Ianthe approaches the portraits, hoping to make out any details that could shed some light on who their "benefactors" were. She also tries to recall what she can of the blueprints she saw to see if the rooms they've explored so far rings any bells.
While these rooms don't ring any bells, the portraits perhaps do:
Each of the portraits on the wall represents a notable figure or scene chronicled by Taldor’s Fourth Army of Exploration. The Fourth Army of Exploration surveyed and staked a claim to the lands that would eventually be Andoran in 1683 AR (more than 3,000 years ago), and made a brief attempt into the Five Kings Mountains. A soldier named Galitian Maramaxus greatly distinguished himself while serving in its ranks. He seems to be the most prominent figure in these scenes.
"What do you see there, Ianthe?" Aurelia says, dropping formalities with her friend. She walks over to see the portraits as well.
Despite her extensive knowledge of noble houses, she recognizes none of these.
Hmmm... these rooms may be quite a bit older that we might have thought.
Ianthe shares her knowledge about the portraits.
"IF it's 3000 years old, no one will care if we break this lock then."
Curious what would be behind a 3000 year old lock, Leo does his best to break into the cabinet.
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Lock 2, Leo 0.
While Leo tries to smash it, Corran goes through drawers, looks under matts, looks under the mattresses and pillow... Looking for a key or anything else out of place. A thorough search of the bar and room, including the floors.
Perception Check?
Hmmm... these rooms may be quite a bit older that we might have thought.
Ianthe shares her knowledge about the portraits.
Fourth? Hilarious. Older than our family.
While Corran doesn't find a key, he does make a useful find for people using this as a safehouse.
In one of the drawers is a note that says,
"This wand can be used to make food and water. There are252423222120191817161514 uses remaining."
Underneath it is a wand that smells faintly of black tea.
In another drawer is a plain wooden spoon. Wrapped around the spoon is a note that says,
"place spoon in container and gruel will appear. It tastes like bloody Andoran food, but feeds 4 men per day."
Unfortunately, there are no keys anywhere in the room.
Leo starts to get a bit exasperated. He tugs at the lock one more time.
He slips and falls on the floor. He pulls himself up with a sheepish grin and a shrug. He then quickly hacks away at the wood with his short sword until it opens.
Lock 3, Leo 0
Leo, ease up. The people who established this hold had magic available to them. Maybe don't go smashing stuff before we know if it's gonna explode. This is the stuff they didn't lock up, after all.
Can I cast Detect Magic and examine the cabinet?
The mystery of the cabinet actually deepens, when Corran can't seem to detect anything inside the cabinet. It's not that he doesn't detect magic, his spell is blocked, likely by lead lining.
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As he examines the cabinet, Corran shares.
Ianthe once blew up the nursery. She lost her eyebrows and everything. We had this one maid that we couldn't find afterwards. I suppose she could have resigned, but we never did see her again. That's all I'm saying.
He finishes his spell and examines...
This is strange. Whatever is in this cabinet... Well, whomever locked this up really didn't want anyone poking around. It's shielded and blocking my dectection spell. Probably lead.
Leo sighs and relaxes. "This chain shirt is cramping my style. Give me a moment." Leo takes a few moments and wiggles out of his chain shirt. He then takes his time and carefully and systematically tries to foil the lock.
Corran backs away and very calmly hides behind the table in the far corner. He whistles as he does so.
Lock 4, Leo 0. Leo confirms that this lock is a pretty good lock.
Being completely unexploded, Corran continues his playful whistle and moves to the eastern double doors. Are they unlocked? If so, he will open them.
Corran boldly opens the eastern door. Heavy wooden bookshelves line the walls of this opulent bedchamber. A posh chair sits in the northwestern corner alongside a small circular table, upon which rests an ornate gold key. A massive bed and an adjoining table rest along the eastern side of the room. An open bathroom fits into the southwest, with a bathtub matching the room’s opulence, but adding an ignoble odor. Doors exit to the west (yours) and south.
There's a lot in this room, it would take a fair bit of time to explore fully.
First things first. Corran snags the key. Let's go try it in the cabinet.
Corran dashes back to the cabinet. Sadly, in his frustration, the key doesn't fit. It's not even close unfortunately.
Damn!
Corran pockets the key and returns to the opulent bedroom.
Aside from, 'ignoble', what can you tell me about the odor?
Everyone. You think maybe this room's been undisturbed for thousands of years??? He can't hide the giddy excitement.
Moldering books fill the bookshelves here, most of them detailing points of Taldor’s long history. Despite a thick layer of dust, the high-quality bed and bedclothes here have aged much better than those in the servants’ quarters. A hand mirror and a frayed brush rest on the sink in the bathroom. The odor is distinctly that of a room unused for millennia.
I go to investigate the brush and mirror, and get a look around the wash riom.
Corran looks around in the small bathroom, but finds nothing of import there.
Brush and mirror might be worth something. If they are intact, I will pocket them.
Doors to the south you say? Onward.
Ianthe once blew up the nursery. She lost her eyebrows and everything. We had this one maid that we couldn't find afterwards. I suppose she could have resigned, but we never did see her again. That's all I'm saying.
"Ianthe, you never mentioned having a mishap! And to think that layabout Maren Fuln had the nerve to call me an 'undisciplined cheat' when it came to my approach to magic," Aurelia says, her grin widening. "My friend, I suspect he'd have doted on you less if he'd known."
To Corran she says, "When we get out of here, I want details! And I will pry them out of you!"
She spends most of her time flipping through the moldering books, curious about the history they might reveal. When they move on, she follows.
Mirror, yes. Brush, not really.
"What is the most recent historical event found on these shelves?" Xavien wonders aloud, seeing Aurelia near the crumbling books. "That would provide an approximate age for our locale."
Aurelia notices that like the portraits in the other room, the books here seem to demonstrate a fascination with the Fourth Army of Exploration. The books here are considerably newer, but still centuries old. Xavien thinks the furnishing in room (and he's saying this with a surface level scan only) is likely three centuries old.
"The age is only one interesting fact. Centuries old, easily. But whoever built this library was keenly interested or educated on the Fourth Army of Exploration. That suggests something about the librarian, though I cannot say what at this stage."
Xavien murmurs his agreement and moves past Corran to the next doorway. He offers it barely a glance before pushing it open.
Eschewing a search of the busy room, Xavien opens the door to yet another short hallway.
Leo grumbles to himself,"ridiculous... absurd ... why would anyone ...%$%# .... lock.." Defeated, Leo shimmies into his chain shirt and head down the hall with Xavian. He doesn't make eye contact with anyone. He feels foolish.
"Mmm!" Xavien brightens at a sudden thought, remembering Ianthe's words. He heads back into the bedchamber. "Are any of these books on Galitian Maramaxus? Or even written by him?"
He looks over the bookshelves for any magical auras as well.
As Corran leaves the bathroom for the hall to the south, he spies something out of place. At first he thought it was a xylospongium, but it's not. It's a bronzed and pitted scroll case hanging from the railing of the bathtub.
Right as he notices that, Xavien does find a biography on Galitian Maramaxus. He finds two in fact, and one of them doesn't weigh enough for its size.
Brilliant. Of course. Why wouldn't you want to read your scrolls in the bath? I should have thought of this years ago.
Corran fetches the scroll case and examines it. If there's nothing alarming or out of place, he will open it and look at the contents.
"Aha!" Xavien exclaims, snatching up the lighter book. He opens it, expecting to find a cavity where its pages should be.
He looks through the other, too, just to be thorough.
Xavien finds that the book has been hollowed out. Inside is a pieace of clear rectangular glass, like some kind of prism. The other copy of the book has moldered enough that it's likely not worth anything.
Corran's curiosity compels him to open the case. It opens to reveal a tattered note that reads: “Fourth bed from the north. Comforter. Backup key.”
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I'm starting to feel like I'm in one of those new... Escaping Rooms... You know, the ones the Pathfinder Society set up to test people and earn a little extra coin?
Corran returns to the servants quarters and searches the comforter on the fourth bed from the north.
Corran dashes back to the very first room. As the note said, he finds a key. The hidden key is sewn into the comforter of fourth bed from the north. This key is an inelegant brass key...
Xavien examines the prism carefully while Corran runs around looking for the key.
Might it fit in the cabinet? Let's find out!
Vaxien detects some minor Evocation magic, but can't discern its use.
Corran strides up to the lock that so thoroughly frustrated Leo... and find that the key opens it quite easily.
Eagerly the agents, for the time forgetting the coup d'etat, look inside.
Inside the locked cabinet is something that resembles an immovable crystal ball built into the wall. There's a slot in the top that actually happens to look like the outline of the prism Xavien found.
Before anyone can tinker with it, reality strikes:
“Gloriana Morilla’s allies from the Pathfinder Society secured us a way out of the senate building! This is an organized force.”
"We're glad you found a way out. We're trapped at the moment but not in immediate danger. We think we're in a hidden chamber somewhere below The Senate."