Icahbhod will check the bathroom
Xallis gets a little sense of vertigo as he's suddenly teleported from the bloodbath. Thankfully, his eidolon comes along for the ride.
When they arrive, Navia takes one whiff of the air and immedietly gags. "Guhh! Where are we? And why does it smell like that tomb we raided that one time?"
"I... I don't know?" Xallis conjures a magical light on a spare crossbow bolt, holding it aloft like a torch as he examines their surroundings. "We have to figure out where we are and get word to our families what happened. Who knows what bloody chaos is going on right now."
The summoner pauses to consider the kind of magic that brought them here as a means of gauging where they might be while Navia carefully puts her ear towards the door to the east, listening for movement while protecting her augmented nose from the dust with a free hand.
Looking around, Trevor observes his coterie is not in immediate danger. With that in mind, the aasimar touchs his holy symbol and casts daylight on it.
"We have to get out of here", Trevor spoke with anxiety. "I have to make sure my Uncle, and the ladies made it out alright!"
Trevor notices the panel on the wall between the bathroom and the line of beds. He gets closer to examine it.
Henrika magically riffles through the lockers. They aren’t locked and no traps go off when the doors are opened. Most of the lockers are empty, but one locker contains a grooming kit, a moth-eaten change of clothes, and a simple hand mirror.
Icabhod checks the bathroom. The small bathroom is still functioning; the internal plumbing was built to last a millennia.
Trevor examines the glass panel on the wall. It appears to be a switch. When he presses it, magical lights built into the ceiling buzz and flicker for a second then go back out. You notice that light now seeps out from under the cracks of both the door to the north and the door to the east.
The summoner pauses to consider the kind of magic that brought them here as a means of gauging where they might be while Navia carefully puts her ear towards the door to the east, listening for movement while protecting her augmented nose from the dust with a free hand.
Xallis' Spellcraft to identify the teleportation: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Navia's Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Xallis confirms that the teleportation effect did indeed come from the senate aide badge but the effect has now expired. It likely will not trigger again. You also get the sense that you didn’t teleport too far. If you had to guess, you might be under the senate building.
Navia does not hear anything on the other side of the door. It is completely silent.
Tychus stumbles as the teleportation takes hold. Unlike some of his other compatriots, he wasn't blessed with the ability to see in the dark. He fumbles around slightly while they talk to themselves, and then suddenly light blooms into the room as they start activating their items/spells. He doesn't want to admit it to anyone, but he's very glad that he can see once again.
"And we were just about to take that guy down too." he says sarcastically, referring to the dark figure they were fighting but a moment ago. "And of all the days to not pack my torches..." He trails off for a moment. "I do hope the Princess is safe..."
He suddenly has a moment of realization. The shock of the chaos and slaughter had awoken within him a sense of justice, nestled within his soul, nurtured by Abadar himself. The holy symbol on his chest begins to glow bright white before fading. With a brief whispered prayer, it begins to glow, this time softly, but due to his own newfound powers.
He looks around pensively. The others are already investigating the room. He doesn't want to be caught slacking off.
"These beds look undisturbed, but perhaps there is still a clue about our current situation."
”Oh, it was the badges that took us here, intriguing. Didn’t our patron mention they were from a now nonexistent house? Senator Voratis, was it? Perhaps he had the badges enchanted or altered to protect his aides in case of emergency.”
”We must be close to the senate, you said. Which means we might still be in danger. Quickly, we have to find a way out of here before they find us. Whoever they are.” she says, her voice unusually calm.
She’ll take a look at the door to the north, and will gently try to twist the handle to open it.
Tychus searches the first bed. He brushes off a layer of dust and turns the bed down. While he doesn't discovery any items of use, the bed is in surprisingly good shape and would be comfortable enough to still use to sleep in.
”Oh, it was the badges that took us here, intriguing. Didn’t our patron mention they were from a now nonexistent house? Senator Voratis, was it? Perhaps he had the badges enchanted or altered to protect his aides in case of emergency.”
Knowledge (nobility): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Does Lir recall anything of interest or note about House Voratis and the Senator?
Liraela's intuition is correct; you are likely in a safe haven created be Senator Voratis. However, all you recall is that House Voratis is a thousand year old family and the last of the Voratis line died out over a century ago. Which would mean that if someone from House Voratis built these rooms, they are at least a hundred years old.
Liraela opens the door to the north.
This room is currently illuminated with magical ceiling lights.
A wooden counter juts from the northwest corner of this thirty-foot-by-thirty-foot chamber. Open cabinets of dusty liquor bottles stand behind the bar, while one cabinet remains tightly sealed with a visible lock. Three tables with adjacent chairs fill much of the room. Portraits of posing nobles and historical scenes adorn the walls, all faded with age. Doors exit to the south and east.
Like the first room there is also a panel of brass and green glass on one wall.
Around the same time, you receive another telepathic message. “Gloriana Morilla’s allies from the Pathfinder Society secured us a way out of the senate building! This is an organized force.”
Icabhod checks the brass ad green glass panel in the first room
Icabhod presses the panel in B1 a second time and the light in B2 goes out.
Tychus will check the remaining beds, time permitting, one by one until he finds something interesting.
Around the same time, you receive another telepathic message. “Gloriana Morilla’s allies from the Pathfinder Society secured us a way out of the senate building! This is an organized force.”
Xallis attempts to concentrate and respond. "We're safe for now. The badges teleported us un... somewhere safe. Keep us updated, and stay safe."
Curious about the room to the east, Navia slowly opens the door and peers inside, scanning the room and attempting to pick up any interesting scents beyond the stifling dust.
Tychus will check the remaining beds, time permitting, one by one until he finds something interesting.
Tychus thoroughly searches the remaining beds. They all seem to be the same.
Navia open the door to the east.
This room is currently in the dark.
Stacked wooden crates cover the southern wall, and more crates occupy the northwestern corner. Wooden shelves fill much of the eastern half of the room, each tier filled with dust-coated bottles, crockery, and glass jars.
There is a panel on the wall in this room too.
Martella continues to give you updates. “Out of the senate. Stavian’s soldiers still pursuing. Fighting throughout the entire senate building. Wherever you are, keep your heads down!”
Trevor starts to empty the glass jars of any dust. Once throughly wiped out, the caydenite casts create water, filling the jars with red wine.
"Drink up. I know I need one", Trevor said, taking a glass of wine and downing it.
Henrika casts message on the rest of the party (which takes casting it three times). This will allow us to speak to each other without making much noise, she suggests, repeating the explanation to each pair. Let's bring that light closer, I want to examine these shelves and crates.
Trevor, with his glowing holy symbol, walks over to the shelves as directed by Henrika.
On the shelves in B4, you find changes of clothes, condiments, pickled vegetables, preserved delicacies, salted meats, and a toolkit. While all the foodstuff here has long since rotted, the toolkit is well stocked and in excellent shape, counting as a masterwork tool for Craft checks related to carpentry, metalworking, or stonework.
Searching the crates in this room (B4) requires some time. (30 minutes for 1 person. But I'll assume you all pitch in and reduce the search time to 5 minutes.)
In the crates you find three daggers, two longswords, a halberd, a masterwork rapier, a masterwork longsword, 12 masterwork darts, a masterwork suit of studded leather armor, and a masterwork suit of leather lamellar armor.
You also notice while searching the crates that the crates along the wall are concealing something. You spend another 5 minutes (if all 6 of you help) to move the crates out of the way. Doing so reveals a beautiful fresco painted on the southern wall, depicting Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, battling the dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains. A brass plate identifies the fresco as “Noble Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, champion of Taldor.”
Afterwards, you receive yet another message from Martella. “Not all military are with Stavian. Assassins seem to be a collection of foreign agents. City guard is in chaos. Lion Blades and Eutropia’s allies fighting back in the senate.”
I will take some water please. Icanhid mixes up some ingrediants from a pouch and sprinkles it intot he water before drinking it.
Tychus absentmindedly takes a swig of wine, taking in all the objects and points of interest in the new room.
"I hate being stuck here while the fighting carries on elsewhere. I feel so helpless."
He holds up the masterwork studded leather.
"Anyone mind if I use these? I don't think the old owners are around anymore..."
"Now, what's with these odd panels...?" he says as he approaches the plate on the wall.
The arrival of the masterwork rapier temporarily removes Trevor's anxiety. The caydenite was always too busy to upgrade his rapier to a finer quality. Trevor removes his rapier, replacing it with the masterwork version.
Did you leave this for me, Cayden? The cleric wonders to himself.
Tychus absentmindedly takes a swig of wine, taking in all the objects and points of interest in the new room.
"I hate being stuck here while the fighting carries on elsewhere. I feel so helpless."
Trevor casts create water again, trying to calm his nerves. "Indeed", the cleric agrees, and moves to assist the archer in his investigation of the wall mural.
”On one hand I agree but on the other, it’s better to be useless and safe than foolishly heroic and splattered across the floor.” she says bitterly, taking a long drink from Icabhod’s summoned wine. ”That hits the spot, thank you!”
When the group discovers the gear, she speaks up again.
”This lamellar is of exceptional quality, and will make moving around much easier. I think I will take and use it, no one else in this abandoned corner of the senate will be using it.”
Before responding to Martella, she asks the group a question she had been thinking for a while.
”Well, we know Stavian and his allies are traitors to the throne, as well as any outside opportunistic assassins, but can we trust anyone else? Even Martella? We have to think about who we can count as being on our side-she is not a friend, but an employer.” she points out.
Trevor looked back at purple-hued beauty and blinked. "You do bring up a valid point", the cleric sighed nervously.
"Now, what's with these odd panels...?" he says as he approaches the plate on the wall.
Tychus tests the panel in storage chamber (B4). When he presses it, the lights in B1 and B2 turn on. The panels appear to be light switches but they aren't working for the correct rooms.
Trevor casts create water again, trying to calm his nerves. "Indeed", the cleric agrees, and moves to assist the archer in his investigation of the wall mural.
Trevor investigates the mural. He finds that multiple sections of the mural can be pushed in like buttons. However, nothing seems to happen when he tests them. Perhaps you need to find more clues.
Before responding to Martella, she asks the group a question she had been thinking for a while.
”Well, we know Stavian and his allies are traitors to the throne, as well as any outside opportunistic assassins, but can we trust anyone else? Even Martella? We have to think about who we can count as being on our side-she is not a friend, but an employer.” she points out.
"Unfortunate, but fair. We'll keep this spot a secret. In fact, let's ensure any responses to our emploter on the vague and inquisitive side."
Xallis wrinkles his nose and reaches for his scroll case. "But for now? The thick air is killing me and I've got a spare scroll of Unseen Servant that should take care of things while we search."
Meanwhile, Navia continues the exploration by examining the door heading north.
The door to the north is silent as well.
When and if we escape thus place we should find a place to go to ground until we are more certain of what we should do.
"I don't even want to acknowledge the chance of another betrayal. The situation is already chaotic enough as it is." He pauses for a good moment as his fingers brush across the odd light panel. "But I'd be a fool to discount it as a possibility..." he ends with a growling tone.
Trevor reads the brass plate under the fresco. “Noble Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, champion of Taldor.”
The cleric looks for the fourth button, left to right, on the artwork and press it.
Icabhod examines the fresco for clues to operate it.
"Maybe the buttons change a thing in here?" Navia asks as she steps northward through the doorway.
Trevor reads the brass plate under the fresco. “Noble Galitian Maramaxus, hero of the Fourth Army of Exploration, champion of Taldor.”
The cleric looks for the fourth button, left to right, on the artwork and press it.
Icabhod examines the fresco for clues to operate it.
Trevor and Icabhod search the mural for clues. Pressing buttons, including the “fourth button” does not seem to do anything at the moment.
Navia opens the next door to the north.
Heavy wooden bookshelves line the walls of this opulent bedchamber. A posh chair sits in the northwestern corner alongside a small circular table. 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 and south.
Like the other rooms, there is a panel on the wall. In addition, between the bookcases is a curious small niche.
Have we tried the panel in room B2? I can't see anyone mention doing so, and if that's the case I'll go back to B2 and try it.
Pressing the panel in B2 turns on the lights in the new room (B3).
Martella sends you another message. “Stavian’s forces retreating, military is divided. Maxillar Pythareus seen moving with impunity through Stavian’s assassins.”
Tychus paces through each room, not really looking at anything specific, appearing deep in thought, before finally making his way to the bedroom.
"We've tried it in all the other rooms, might as well follow this particular thread to it's final conclusion."
He approaches the final panel in B3 and tries to activate it.
Henrika looks over the opulent room, checking for hidden compartments, traps, or devices.
"We've tried it in all the other rooms, might as well follow this particular thread to it's final conclusion."
He approaches the final panel in B3 and tries to activate it.
Tychus presses the panel. The lights in Area B2 turn off and B4 turn on.
Henrika looks over the opulent room, checking for hidden compartments, traps, or devices.
Perception (take 10), heightened awareness: 16
Moldering books fill the bookshelves here, most of them detailing points of Taldor’s long history. Searching all the books on the bookshelf could take hours if searching without direction. But if you searched for the right subject, you could greatly reduce the search time.
Despite a thick layer of dust, the high-quality bed and bedclothes here have aged much better than those in the servants’ quarters. An ornate gold key lies on top of the circular table next to the sofa chair.
A circular, coin-sized niche is obvious on the wall, but it connects to no obvious mechanisms.
In the bathroom, a hand mirror and a frayed brush rest on the sink in the bathroom. Henrika also notices a scroll case hanging from the railing of the bathtub. This bronzed and pitted case opens to reveal a tattered note that reads: “Fourth bed from the north. Comforter. Backup key.”
Making a mental map in his head, Tychus ponders on how to illuminate the whole floor at the same time.
"Should be simple, all I have to do from here is press this one and that other one after that..."
He heads to both rooms in that order and flicks their respective switches.
Henrika takes the key, and reads the scroll aloud to everyone. "This moldering patriarch seems to really appreciate the number four," she muses, remembering the brass plate on the fresco to which Trevor called attention. She heads back to the beds and searches the comforter on the fourth bed from the north for a backup key.
Xallis approaches the ornate golden key, chanting and gesturing as he casts a simple cantrip.
As he does, Navia examines the coin-sized niche for any signs of mechanisms. "Hey Xallis," she says in a casual tone, "when you get a moment, can you take a look at me? My brain's been wriggling around ever since that last fight."
We could put a coin in to test it, or perhaps there is a hidden coin.
Tychus manipulates the switches so that all four rooms are illuminated. Nothing unusual happens.
Following the note's instructions, Henrika searches the fourth bed from the north and finds a hidden key is sewn into the comforter. This key is an
inelegant brass key.
Xallis casts detect magic. Neither key radiates any magic. However, he does detect a strong aura of conjuration magic on the floor of the senator's chamber (B3).
As he does, Navia examines the coin-sized niche for any signs of mechanisms. "Hey Xallis," she says in a casual tone, "when you get a moment, can you take a look at me? My brain's been wriggling around ever since that last fight."
The niche does look like it is wanting for a coin to be inserted. The niche is not deep and a coin that is inserted could be retrieved again. The niche also emits a conjuration aura. Perhaps the niche and the magic on the floor are linked.
Icabhod tests the niche with the various coins he has on hand (copper, silver, gold). None of these coins produces any effect. Perhaps a specific coin somewhere in these rooms is needed.
Tychus slinks between rooms B3 and B4.
"Well,... whoever lived here really liked their history. Seeing such an impressive fresco placed upon the wall of this room, it must have been an important event." he says, but he is clearly unimpressed by the concept.
"Let us see if the history books of the bed chamber have anything to say about it."
Tychus proceeds towards the bookshelves to see if any of them cover the topic depicted in the fresco.
She checks the shelves more thoroughly for any sort of coin or coin-shaped object hiding amongst the spoiled food. Would make sense to hide something so valuable in a place that wouldn't be searched that often.
"All spoiled. I guess whoever thought they'd need this safe house didn't make it, for whatever reason. We haven't seen any evidence of uh, remains, have we?"
Hearing Tychus speak so sarcastically about the fresco piques her interest, and she walks over to take a look at it herself. Surely there's something they were missing about it, if such a piece of art was so casually hidden.
"You deride it so, but it is quite wonderfully painted. I can appreciate a good piece of art, after all, regardless of the subject."
Without much to go on, Trevor walks back to the beds and searches them thoroughly. checking the blankets, pillows; mattresses, upper and lower.
Icabhod goes back and checks all of the lockers.
Tychus proceeds towards the bookshelves to see if any of them cover the topic depicted in the fresco.
Tychus searches the library shelves for any book on the Fourth Army of Exploration. He finds one and it appears to be one of the dozen or so books that has not decayed over the years. When he opens the book, he finds that a hollow has been cut out of the pages and fitted inside the cut pages of the book is a small, curved piece of rectangular glass.
She checks the shelves more thoroughly for any sort of coin or coin-shaped object hiding amongst the spoiled food. Would make sense to hide something so valuable in a place that wouldn't be searched that often.
"All spoiled. I guess whoever thought they'd need this safe house didn't make it, for whatever reason. We haven't seen any evidence of uh, remains, have we?"
Perception: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 = 12
Hearing Tychus speak so sarcastically about the fresco piques her interest, and she walks over to take a look at it herself. Surely there's something they were missing about it, if such a piece of art was so casually hidden.
"You deride it so, but it is quite wonderfully painted. I can appreciate a good piece of art, after all, regardless of the subject."
Perception: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 2 = 26
Liraela does not find anything that was missed on the storage shelves. When investigating the fresco, however, see notices something that the others didn't. Faint cracks that are easily missed indicate that there might be a hidden compartment hidden behind the fresco. But Liraela is not able to find a way to open it. It might be linked to the buttons on painting if you can figure out the correct combination.
Without much to go on, Trevor walks back to the beds and searches them thoroughly. checking the blankets, pillows; mattresses, upper and lower.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Trevor finds nothing else in the beds or pillows.
Open cabinets of dusty liquor bottles stand behind the bar, while one cabinet remains tightly sealed with a visible lock.
Many of the liquors here have soured or evaporated away over the eons, but two bottles of whiskey remain sealed in wax. A magical wand and spoon rest in a drawer under the bar.
The bottles of whiskey are worth 75 gp.
The wand is a wand of create food and water with 14 charges.
The spoon is a sustaining spoon.
Icabhod goes back and checks all of the lockers.
Icabhod does not find anything else in the lockers.
"Oh, guys, I found something over here!" Lir calls out excitedly, finally having made headway on getting out. "Some sort of panels we need to push to get some sort of compartment open. I'm not sure what the combination is, is there any hint in the other rooms?"
When she makes it to , she immediately takes an interest in the locked cabinet. "Do you think the key would work on this? I could try picking it, but I want to see if this is what we're supposed to use the key on first."
The magical items are cool and all, but she is obviously more entertained by the prospect of the unknown behind the locked cabinet.
Bringing the book with him, he shows the rest of the group the item he found.
"Seems Galitian Maramaxus had a present for us. Not sure what this piece of glass is for. Could be anything really."
He holds up the piece of glass to his eye, peering through it like a monocle and sweeping his gaze around the room to see if anything looked different.
If not, he proceeds to try and insert the piece of glass into the coin niche if he deems the size to be similar.
Icabhod looks at the wand and spoon. Well, at least we won't starve, although I seem to have lost my appetite after past events.
Icabhod looks at the wand and spoon. Well, at least we won't starve, although I seem to have lost my appetite after past events.
"After..." Xallis begains, but he trails off. He reaches up to wipe his left eye with his sleeve. Unfortunately, the dust on his clothing only makes it worse, adding the slightest hint of red to go with the glistening tear forming at the edge. "He was just a dumb kid."
"The lights must have a patterns." Xallis sputters out as he immedietly begins making the rounds and testing the switches. All the while, he looks around the room in desperate curiosity, though a person of modest insight could tell that he's mostly 'looking busy' to make it so his allies only see the right side of his face.
Xallis tests the lights in the following ways:
- Turning them off, and then activating each room in clockwise order from B1 to B4
- Turning them off, and activating one light per room, starting with B3 and going clockwise until ending at B1.
- As above, but counter-clockwise for each, the later starting in B1 and ending in B3.
Meanwhile, Navia perks up, heeding a silent command. "Oh, r-right. I guess the bar is the only room with only one switch. I'll go... look for another one."
When she makes it to B2, she immediately takes an interest in the locked cabinet. "Do you think the key would work on this? I could try picking it, but I want to see if this is what we're supposed to use the key on first."
The brass key that you found hidden in the bed sheet unlocks the bar cabinet. Inside the locked cabinet is something that resembles an immovable crystal ball built into the wall. The device is currently inoperable, requiring a missing piece. The rectangular piece of curved glass that Tychus found looks like it would fit in a matching hole in the top of the device.
Xallis tests the lights in the following ways:
- Turning them off, and then activating each room in clockwise order from B1 to B4
- Turning them off, and activating one light per room, starting with B3 and going clockwise until ending at B1.
- As above, but counter-clockwise for each, the later starting in B1 and ending in B3.Meanwhile, Navia perks up, heeding a silent command. "Oh, r-right. I guess the bar is the only room with only one switch. I'll go... look for another one."
None of the patterns Xallis tries has any effect except for turning the lights on or off. Navia searches but does not find any additional switches.
Hearing from afar of the newfound crystalline object, Tychus hurries over with the piece of glass in hand. He carefully inserts the piece, takes a few steps back and waits to see if anything changes.
Hearing from afar of the newfound crystalline object, Tychus hurries over with the piece of glass in hand. He carefully inserts the piece, takes a few steps back and waits to see if anything changes.
Tychus inserts the glass piece into the hole in the crystal ball and it fits perfectly. The crystal ball hums with power. Staring into the device, the viewer can see a vision of the southern wall of the storage room, where the fresco is painted.