Valeros trails in, looking inside any open crates.
This southernmost section of the Southern Warehouse is reminicient of the Northern Warehouse, except this area looks to be a Long Term Storage area, judging by the absence of active workers here. The crates too have similar contents (except nothing at all perishable).
Unable to see yet a door that connects to the middle of the Southern Warehouse, the party is aware yet of three "blind spots" behind crates as they slowly file in and cautiously walk around.
There is a shuffling sound - perhaps in a "blind spot" in this very room?...
Nope - not in a "blind spot" in this room - in the next room north of this room...
Creatures of some sort - perhaps more Workers?...
Judging by the rhythmic motions, definitely more Workers shifting crates to and fro...
...
Valeros's eagle eyes spot some spider webs on the ceiling and he trips over a crate.
Valeros will check out all the dark corners of this room.
While the party listens to identify the sounds north of them and through the wall, Valeros, tripping over a crate but then collecting himself, checks behind one of the hidden corners, discovering nothing moving or unusual...
...
Fangor w/ nothing @ Avoid Notice w/ Trapfinder
Frogger w/ nothing @ Detect Magic
Teja w/ rapier and dagger @ Avoid Notice
Valeros w/ sword and shield @ Search
Zallarra w/ nothing @ Search
...
Valeros will search the remaining corners (SW and N).
Behind the third blind corner... nothing. Behind the fourth... a door! Locked!
Not in this room!
The door swings open - immediately visible is a pile of crates 5 feet in front of the door, bearing a path left or right...
...the cat scurries out the back door...
...
Fangor w/ nothing @ Avoid Notice w/ Trapfinder
Frogger w/ nothing @ Detect Magic
Teja w/ rapier and dagger @ Avoid Notice
Valeros w/ sword and shield @ Search
Zallarra w/ nothing @ Search
...
A familiar scene in a different kind of room.
Only there a seven workers now! But at the moment, do not seem concerned with Zallarra as she walks inside. Moving crates seemingly from the northern side of the Southern Warehouse (the spot Frogger and Teja failed to sneak into earlier) into this room - or out - the large stack of crates first visible when Fangor popped the lock the singular pile, and arranged orderly. Further along the east side of this room, a desk with papers - presumably the records of shipments and storage - some partially strewn, some organized into piles.
Workes 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 slowly but surely, in predictable patterns, repeat the same rote movements over and over; one zombie opens a crate, another places baobab fruit inside, and a third seals it, then a rotating fourth or fifth carries it into the other room.
Finally, a large sheet - perhaps triple the size or ordinary paper - is pinned to an interior wall and covered in markings.
No traps in here!
No magic in here either!
...
...
Can we tell if the workers are zombies or constructs?
Fangor w/ nothing @ ??
Frogger w/ nothing @ Examine Crates ("see if there is a special crate in this room") @ Perception (11)+11 = 22
Teja w/ rapier and dagger @ ??
Valeros w/ sword and shield @ Examine Workers ("if the workers are zombies or constructs?") @ ??
Zallarra w/ nothing @ ??
Fangor w/ nothing @ ??
Frogger w/ nothing @ Examine Crates ("see if there is a special crate in this room") @ Perception (11)+11 = 22
Teja w/ rapier and dagger @ ??
Valeros w/ sword and shield @ Examine Workers ("if the workers are zombies or constructs?") @ ??
Zallarra w/ nothing @ Examine Poster ("check out the post, see what it says") @ ??
Fangor w/ nothing @ ??
Frogger w/ nothing @ Examine Crates ("see if there is a special crate in this room") @ Perception (11)+11 = 22
Teja w/ rapier and dagger @ Examine Room ("looking around for anything suspicious") @ Perception (6)+7 = 13
Valeros w/ sword and shield @ Examine Workers ("if the workers are zombies or constructs?") @ ??
Zallarra w/ nothing @ Examine Poster ("check out the post, see what it says") @ ??
The party sets about looking the room over while the zombies continue working. Fangor and Frogger inspect the crates. Valeros gets up close to the workers and pokes them with his sword. Teja and Zallarra head over to the desk and posterboard...
Smelling the boxes, you suddenly recognize the same smell of Putrid Seeds (albeit, mixed with rotting zombie flesh) to have been on the golems you fought earlier, and now that you're thinking of it, that their hands - before being covered by Frogger's blood (!) - had traces of fruit skins and juices on them - even though as you witnessed them moving boxes you didn't see them touch any fruit whatsoever!
Furthermore, though your character has already succeeded on their single check, you may inform your party that it might be worth looking around for other signs of forced entry!
You find clues of tampering with the crates - perhaps a special tool with which to open and reseal them? - that seem to indicate that the merchandise in this warehouse is repeatedly broken into on a regular basis despite the zombies almost mechanical sealing of the crates!
Furthermore, though your character has already succeeded on their single check, you may inform your party that it might be worth looking around for other signs of forced entry!
You are unable to find anything "suspicious" - looks like a normal (for Geb) operation here!
They look like normal zombies to you.
The poster looks accurate at first glance... but looking closer, you notice that there seems to be a few nights in which the (undead) staffing is reduced significantly while at the same time there a larger shipments coming in that same day!
Furthermore, though your character has already succeeded on their single check, you may inform your party that it might be worth looking around for other signs of cooked books!
...
...
Fangor w/ nothing @ Examine Fruit ("to find something not right with the food") @ Nature (13)+8+1 = 22
Frogger w/ nothing @ Examine Crates ("see if there is a special crate in this room") @ Perception (11)+11 = 22
Teja w/ rapier and dagger @ Examine Room ("looking around for anything suspicious") @ Perception (6)+7 = 13
Valeros w/ sword and shield @ Examine Workers ("if the workers are zombies or constructs?") @ ??
Zallarra w/ nothing @ Examine Poster ("check out the post, see what it says") @ Society (14)+6 = 20
Fangor @ ??
Frogger @ ??
Teja @ ??
Valeros @ ??
Zallarra @ ??
...
"Looks like normal undead to me."
Since they don't look hostile, Valeros will go up to the northenmost part and make sure novody's hiding.
|
With his smooth voice, Fangor says to his comrades
Friends, I've recognized the same smell of Putrid Seeds that have been on the golems we fought earlier... Also, I remember that their hands had traces of fruit skins and juices on them but I don't remember that when they were moving boxes they haven't touch any fruit whatsoever.
It may be worth investigating the place for some forced entry...
Fangor will looks at the papers on the desk.
Looking at the papers on the desk, you connect a few dots here, and realize the syntax reminds you of a code used by members of The Whispering Way!
Looking at the creates, you connect a few dots here, and realize the symbols used to mark which boxes are meant to be "disturbed" is some alteration of the symbol for The Whispering Way!
...
Something can be heard stirring in the next room - larger than a cat!
It's the Guards! They are talking!
"You hear something again? Do you think they came back?"
Perhaps 30 seconds away!
...
Valeros holds up a fist and points next door - he hears the guards talking!
Hearing the guards' impending return - the party decides what to do!
Does Valeros see anything up north?
Indeed!
"You again!" says Toro.
"Surrender yourselves!!" says Khala.
...
|
"I think you mean, you should surrender yourselves" says the scholar with an icy voice.
"You have been part of a systematic effort to defraud customers of this warehouse, and the notes here prove it. Now, last time I checked the penalty was.... oh, death and reanimation. Of course if you were willing to provide details of those further up the chain, your evidence would be taken into account in your sentencing..."
"ME SMASH NOW?" Valeros growls, hoping to play "bad cop" in this routine (he's not really going to smash anyone).
Assuming this works , Valeros will end up backing out of the warehouse after people are satisfied that we've gathered all the incriminating evidence that villains love to leave lying around.
"Well that's above our pay grade - pot and kettle as they say" Toro play the "good cop" while Khala does her best to mug Valeros in kind.
"We'll ask you one more time to return what you stole right now!" and he pulls his cudgel here, motioning to Khala who reaches for the whistle around her neck.
These two have nothing to hide.
You suspect that you are the first they have "busted" here at all!
...
|
|
Zallarra comes into that area.
"You are 'busting' no one. Are you in on this? Are you working for the Whispering Way? What do you know about the false records, the damaged shipments and the workers that were replaced? Do you even know what you were guarding? I really hope i'm right and you two are actually just doing your job and know nothing about the horrible things going on in these warehouses."