"yay, we're pissing off Brujah... " A snarky chuckle. He looks tempted to take the gold, the deeds etc No time for that even if it wouldn't bite me in the rear later. Get a move on, Craig
So he just hustles after
"Boss lady said to do. If the owner gets angry he can take it up with her."
You come down the stairwell into a richly appointed room which is circular and has four pillars in the center with a rich well tended garden with small lights highlighting the plants and a statue of Aphrodite in the center standing in a fountain. There is a second room with a painting of a city on the sea burning and on an end table next to the well made bed with silks is a book in a foreign language. It looks very old. There is also no one here.
Marcel will move to carefully flip through the book for any notes inserted or comments written in it.
Looking around the room you see the bed is slightly tussled as if not having been made and the book has a pressed flower inside it.
Craig as you see the book
Marcel holds up the flower and says, "Have either of you seen this type of flower around town?"
"I just got to town." he shrugged as he looked at the flower."But I know someone who knows flowers."
"Why this is written in Homeric Greek. A primer... of sorts, when you first learn it. Looks to be an original script much like the one found in the 1400's, and is most likely worth over 200,000 dollars"
"What's Greek gotta do with baseball?"
"That would be the wrong Homeric I think. I am not sure the book is a clue or just an old story he knew and liked. But the flower might be important if we could identify it." Marcel says as he puts the flower back into the book.
Craig gives Old Ben a pained look, then gives Marcel a nod
Marcel thinks about it, but gets distracted by random thoughts about missing a league football game.
Just in case, not that it mattered with that roll.
On the idea that the Tremere doesn't botch you could take a piece of paper off the desk upstairs and a pencil and make an etching of the flower and show it to the expert that Ben knows.
(Int Specialty is reading into symbols)
For a moment Craig looks unsure then, focusing, "An etching. There was a paper and pencil upstairs? Maybe that's enough?"
"Our time is running short. Do it quickly and then we should go find this specialist you know. If there remains time this night." Marcel says.
"Well, since you ask so nicely," Bemused, but he does move quickly to grab paper and pencil and get the hell back
The etching is completed of the flower using the paper without issue. Looking at your watches you see it has almost been two hours since arriving in the penthouse and that it is now around 3am.
"Is there anything else either of you wishes to check on before we depart?" Marcel checks in case they had some goal he was unfamiliar with.
"We could check the bathroom. If I had things to hide it would be there I mean, we don't poop after all."
"That is a reasonable suggestion that should be fast. Let's close up this area and check that out before we leave. Although he seems to have a number of ghouls who probably use it." Marcel says.
After they close the secret room, closed the vault and hidden it. Marcel will follow Ben to check on the bathroom.
"There's a logic to it." He helps close up, and follows
You make your way to a well appointed, tiled bathroom with a large bath tub that might fit four people and across the hall the toilet with an area in between with mirrors and sink.
Marcel will check the toilet water reservoir to see if anything is stored there.
Nothing is to be found in the reservoir.
Craig looks behind the mirror, or if there is a gap in the support for it
Shrugs, a little crestfallen. "It was worth a look."
"The flower and the dominated ghoul are potentially important information. Do you think we can speak the specialist that you know of this evening? Or shall we try and meet again tomorrow night to see what we can find?" Marcel asks.
A glance at the gangrel
While the mirror is being searched you find a drug cabinet which is empty:
Int plus investigate TN 7
As Marcel searches the area around the mirror he sees that the electrical socket seems off and pushes it and it clicks and slides to the side revealing another switch.
Marcel will hit the switch.
You hear another sliding sound in the hallway and a door across the hall from the other is found this time with a stairwell ascending up through the ceiling in the area that would be soffit space which seems to be extended on either side but which is well hidden and would require an excellent architect.
Marcel will move quickly up into the area to see what they have located.
"Hmm what's that? And here I was wasting time admiring myself"
"With that the red-haired captain moved ahead like an eagle scanning left and right, the bird men say has the sharpest eyes of all that fly the heavens: high as he soars he will never miss the racing hare cowering down low in the dense, shaggy brush."
The coterie comes up the stairs to a wall with this quote written upon the wall.
Beneath it another quote is written in obsidian with the first in gilded gold.
"Catching sight of her upon the ramparts, murmured one to another gentle winged words: who on earth would blame the men who have suffered under arms years of agony for her, such a woman. Beauty, terrible beauty! Deathless goddess, she strikes our eyes!"
"Does anyone recognize these quotes?" Marcel tries to remember if he has ever heard these quotes before as he looks to see if there is anything else up here or a means to continue further on.
While you consider the quotes you come past the wall and find another ornate room much like the one below with a variety of helmets and shields and spears from Greece of museum quality and looking to be Spartan in make. You also see a painting of a stunningly beautiful woman from some time in the eighteen hundreds.
The quotes are from the Illiad referring to Menelaus and Helen.
"Ah, the Iliad, referring to Menelaus and Helen. Menelaus was also a king, brother to Agamemnon. When Helen was spirited away to Troy, they raised a fleet of a thousand ships to get her." He ponders "There are variations of the story but in most of them, Helen's own beauty held back her death when she was seized back to be executed then spared and Menelaus took her to wife instead. At least I think so. Been awhile since I read the Iliad."