Records of the Caia Outfit (Inactive)

Game Master NotEspi

The parrot is focused on the man, the hawk has a blind on, but the owl turns its head in your direction. The man himself is paying attention to the parrot, seemingly not noticing you for now.

The floor is yours.

The building you are moving around is a simple one. Bleached by lime, with dark wood tiling on the roof. Quite different from the farmers' houses you saw on the way. There are several windows on it, but the interior is not visible due to the darkness within. It seems to be built for function, not to be fancy. There are doors in all of the house walls except for the north side. Cobblestone paths lead to each of them. A modest amount of short trees and bushes obfuscate your approach, and the area around the three cages is cleared of major vegetation. There is a birdbath, three benches on the sides, and the abovementioned man dressed in commoner's clothes. A bucket filled with various seeds and nuts rests just outside the southern door with a relatively small wooden cup on top of the contents. If you had to hazard a guess, this man is probably Ghaf's aviarist and this might be his actual house.

The cobblestone path leading from the western wall of the house connects to a T-junction from the north. The path leading east winds away from the manor hall, and heads somewhere between the farms. The other path leads to a vertical bar iron double gate in the wall. The gate separates the manor grounds from the rest of the buildings in the area. A single man dressed in what seems like chainmail walks by the gate every now and then. He holds a lit torch in his left hand and has a shortsword on his belt. The gate itself is not locked, as one half of the gate itself is slightly ajar.

The walls themselves are About 10 ft high, overgrown by vines and ivy. pointing into the sky are short metal spikes embedded in the topmost layer of the wall itself. Walking around the aviarist's house, you find a rickety ladder on the ground just under the northern wall. Next to it, a bucket filled with apples and pears, and a multi-pronged wooden tool on a 5 ft pole.

"Should we sneak by or engage with this one? He seems stressed."

"Either sneak past, or go around the building a different way," Endoin replies. "I can maybe distract the birds with some illusions."

"Let's give that a try, Endoin. If it doesn't work, we can play the "new delivery folks lost trying to find the right door" bit."

Endoin moves forward along the edge of the building as close as he dares for spellcasting. He can cast his spells without speaking, but the magic itself still makes a bit of light and noise around him as he casts.

Once in position, he envisions a fat field mouse and looks over towards the East. Finding a small bush and some slightly taller grass that might work, he casts the illusion. That fat mouse coming out from under the bush sniffing around for a few seconds, then running farther to the East into the tall grass before disappearing entirely.

It probably wouldn't fool anyone looking at it closely, but from a distance, it is at least somewhat believable. Hopefully that owl is as attentive and interested in food as it was interested in them a few seconds ago.

Not sure what checks I need to make for this.

Deception: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 2 = 20

There is a squeak emanating from the nearby grass and the owl turns from you towards the source of the sound. This time, the owl turns its whole body around to focus on the nearby prey.

The aviarist does not mind and instead keeps trying to work with Saiqe.

But his demeanour changes when this owl suddenly lets out a loud shrieking noise. And this is no cutesy owl that perches on thin branches, no no. This absolute specimen of an owl is probably just under 2 ft tall, and you would estimate some 6-8 pounds of weight. The talons alone seem like they could cut up a medium-sized dog. It's a big girl, and she sees dinner. Who knows how long did the aviarist tend to the parrot at this point. Did he feed the two other birds? You know, the raptors...

The man is now alternating between looking at the own and whatever she sees in the grass. "Hoot, no... No." he says slowly, in a calm voice. But Hoot doesn't care. She hasn't eaten in a while, and she sees a juicy mouse right on her doorstep. She spreads her wings, and lurchase forward. "No!" the man shouts one more time as the line holding Hoot's leg to the perch and cage is stretched and pulled by the massive owl. Not only does Hoot slow down, but the perch and cage she was sitting on tilts and falls over, producing a loud crashing noise.

"What's going on over there?" another voice is heard from around the corner, and not a second later, creaking of a gate and footsteps. "Everything alri... Oh my." the voice stops, as a man dressed in chainmail with a shortsword on his belt comes into view. Meanwhile, the aviarist rushes into the grass, where you see Hoot flapping her wings in a frenzy to reach her well-deserved treat. But the line is still connected to the perch. The seemingly heavy perch is slowly inching away from its original position. "Come help me, damnit!" The aviarist shouts at the guard, who puts down the torch and rushes to help. It may take a while to calm down this bird.

Meanwhile, the hawk simply sits on his perch and doesn't do anything. But Saiqe the parrot has other plans. He happily jumps off and flies over the mansion's walls. As the two men struggle to keep the owl in check, the gate is open without anyone guarding it.

My favourite owl species. And it's absolutely not because of the super simple and kinda-funny (in my language) latin name: bubo bubo.

'Good bird.' Endoin thinks to himself.

He turns and waves to the others, gesturing for them to hurry around the building in the other direction and go through the gate while the guards and aviarist are busy watching the spectacle of this owl dragging its pedestal across the lawn.

Taking advantage of the distraction, you walk around the building and carefully tiptoe through the unlocked gate. The cobblestone path continues deeper into the manor grounds, lined by well-kept grass and the occasional trimmed bush. As you walk through the gate, you see a barebones gazebo to your left. Four poles stuck in the ground using a red tarp for a roof. A single chair is placed in the middle of the structure with a handbell and a sheathed blade on the floor next to it.

Beyond the 'guard station' is some sort of a cistern. The surface of the water is several feet below ground level, however. Occasional dead leaves dot the surface of the water, waiting to be picked up during the next cleanup.

The cistern itself is bordering a stone building that seems to be missing a single wall. The one facing the cobblestone path. With the interior of the building visible, you can see a tiled floor with numerous wagons, carts, cartwheels, barrels, and boxes inside. One of the carts is loaded with multiple boxes, but the lack of mud on the wheels suggests it is getting ready to depart as opposed to having arrived recently.

To the right of the path, you see a stone building with an unusually large wooden door in the middle. Near the top of the walls, just under the roof level, you see wooden planks arranged vertically with gaps between each plank. As you stand up to inspect this interesting element of the building, you hear a soft breeze pick up. Warm and manure-smelling air wafts through the gaps between the planks. The smell is definitely one of a stable. One second later, this is confirmed by a few whinnies echoing from beyond the large wooden gate and the planks near the roof.

The cobblestone path continues deeper into the estate grounds, branching to the north just beyond the stable, but otherwise continues on westward, lining up with the mansion itself. This large building with walls made of stone and bricks is covered by a red tiled roof and seems to be sitting on top of a terraced foundation. With every point of entry visible to you being above the ground level and reachable by a short set of stairs. The southeastern corner of the building is surrounded by what seems to be a terrace or a large balcony that moves around that whole building section. The terrace is surrounded by a short railing, but otherwise very accessible via a very short climb or leap. Several doors from the interior to the terrace are visible from where you are. Whether they are locked is a different matter. Flower pots separate the southern edge of the terrace and the cobblestone road in this area. Just beyond the terrace, you see a set of stairs leading to what you assume is the front door and main entrance of the building.

1d6 - 3 ⇒ (5) - 3 = 2

Sitting on the stairs themselves, you see two men dressed in chainmail, chatting and enjoying the time without the owner present.

Relevant map areas revealed.

"I'm thinking we go up to those guards and go ahead with the delivery crew explanation to try to get inside. Be all like, 'My boss insists that I place this properly so that it blends well with the other trophies!'" Fey puts on a quiet, pompous voice with her line, raising an eyebrow at the others for feedback.

Nobody else claimed it, so let's say Fey has the replacement book on her.

"I'm thinking we go up to those guards and go ahead with the delivery crew explanation to try to get inside. Be all like, 'My boss insists that I place this properly so that it blends well with the other trophies!'" Fey puts on a quiet, pompous voice with her line, raising an eyebrow at the others for feedback.

Tamhar takes a quick glance around while Fey is talking. Trying to put on a confident demeanor she replys, "Sounds like the best plan we have for now."

I looked back and didn't see a name for the taxidermy place or the name of the guy I was talking to, so I'm making one up...and if GM isn't happy, just retcon my made-up names ;P

"Let me do the talking, then. Don't speak up unless they address any of you directly. Keeps the tale-telling a little easier." Then, with nobody stopping her, Fey strides confidently forward toward the guards with the package containing the drake figure in hand, assuming that her entourage would be following along with her.

When she approaches the guards, she puts on a smile and holds the package prominently against her chest. "Ah, excuse me? I'm here from Supreme Stuffers in town. Mr. Zimble sent me with this package along with a few new couriers who are learning the new delivery routes and how to set up our merchandise to its best advantage. I'm to deliver it to Mr. Ghaf's study and set it up to be properly displayed."

Deception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

As you approach, the two guards stand up and reach for their blades. One of them raises his hand into a 'hold' gesture and is about to speak, but Fey beats him to it.

They listen to you and then look at each other with a shrug.

"Well, it's pretty unusual for couriers to come in teams of five..." he looks you up and down "...and armed to the teeth. What's up with that?"

"In either case, the study is off-limits. If you want to leave the package with us, we will make sure to arrange..."

The other guard clears his throat as he pats the speaking one on the shoulder.

"I'm sure something can be arranged. Surely, we can do something for the new delivery folks to get to know the mansion, right?" The other guard interrupts and whispers something to the one who was originally speaking. As he does so, both of them look at Fabian. The first guard chuckles quietly. "Your funeral, man." And he addresses you again. "Alright. Listen up. It's the graveyard shift, and it's pretty quiet tonight. Jossim over here will take you into the library. You can leave the thing there, and Master Ghaf will find a place for it."

Meanwhile, Jossim briskly walks over to Fabian, ignoring everyone else. "Nice to meet you! I'm Jossim. Might as well get acquainted if you will be delivering the pieces, yes?" he winks at Fabian suggestively. "What's your name? Eh, names. Names."

"Well, who doesn't have arms and teeth?" Endoin says while shrugging. "And who knows when you are going to run into something with bigger teeth than yourself? I can understand why Goblins hate dogs so much. Yeech." Endoin shudders a bit. "The best dog is a stuffed dog, I always say."

"I can understand that," the unnamed guard nods reluctantly. "but most of you seem like you're ready to throw down."

Rem, who doesn't look highly armed or threatening, shrugs and comments, "My accordion is a devastating weapon if I'm seeking to charm an audience, but otherwise it helps keep up morale during long or challenging deliveries."

By the way, great map!

"Leaving city limits means that we have to fend for ourselves. Packages don't get delivered if we get robbed...but we might have gone a little overboard, it's true." Fey says, offering an explanation for their attire, although at a glance she isn't dangerously armed either, just carrying an instrument. She offers no explanation for it, however.

As Jassim approaches Fabian, Fey opens her mouth briefly to thank the guard, but not before she notices Jossim's attention is entirely on their quiet, stoic friend. She decides to let Fabian take the lead here, realizing why they're being let in at all, and quietly follows wherever the guard is willing to take them.

Jassim, just like all the other guards here, is clothed in light chain mail, a partially visored helmet and red fabrics sometimes lined with furs. Sometimes a wolf, sometimes a bear, sometimes less exotic animals. They all have leather boots and an array of weapons of choice. In the case of these two guards, it is a shortsword on the belt, a crossbow on the back, and a small buckler-like shield attached to their forearm.

Jassim nods at the other guard, produces a keyring and unlocks the front door of the mansion. "I assume this is the first time for most if not all of you." he looks at Fabian with a soft smile. "I mean I know it is for some of you."

Fabian remains silent, however, and Jassim enters the building, beckoning you to follow. With the white stone stonework, the vine-covered walls, and the red roof tiles, the exterior of this building was pompous enough. But the interior is a whole different story. Floors made of hard imported wood with a mirror polish, stones radiating soft orange light embedded in the walls and support pillars all over the place, each stone with an individual curtain to cover it if need be, and speaking of curtains... Oh my! Long, heavy, drapes of fine materials covering sections of walls all the way from the 10 ft ceiling almost all the way to the floor. Tapestries depicting hunters, and sometimes even armies, hunting extremely rare and dangerous game. You could swear you saw what seemed to be three dozen pikemen attempting to subdue a dragon or wyrm.

Speaking of artwork, busts, small statues, and paintings of exotic beasts are neatly placed visibly, but away from the main paths in the interior. The decor screams wealth at you, with a small hint of style. A red carpet is put down between the support pillars in the main hall from north to south. Immediately upon entering the main hall, there is a closed door to your right, and two benches to your left. "Door to the salon." Jassim gestures towards the door on the right. "But we're heading this way." he continues to move towards the north.

A set of white stone stairs ascends to the upper floor with another door just north of them. "Dining hall." he gestures towards the other door on the eastern wall as he turns into a hall to the west. At the end of the hall, you can see another set of stairs to the second floor. You move through the hall and see a room with a bear pelt splayed across the floor in front of a fireplace. Several cushioned chairs are on the bear pelt, and there is also a large table with a set of paintbrushes and crushed dust of various colours. Next to the table, is an easel with an unfinished flower painting. There are several trophies of local game on the wall, mostly various species of deer, one with antlers that are close to 12 feet wide. In the hallway itself, perched against the wall, you can see a few small paintings and portraits. Still life, some unknown raven-haired dame with a white fur bolero and silver jewellery, two landscape paintings, and one painting of a rather exotic-looking flower - a pink orchid of some sort.

Opposite the paintings are two doors. Jassim opens one and enters. "And the library. Do you like any books, friend? I could maybe find something that won't be missed."

Again, the man saunters over to Fabian and waits for a response.

If it weren't for the bookcases, this room would be quite spacious. Shelves filled with books sorted by purpose and genre line the western wall, and there are 4 more blocks of bookshelves in the southeast area of the room, right under a set of stairs to the second floor. In the middle of the northern segment of the room, you see a large table with a few books piled on it, and a quill and inkwell neatly stored next to a few pages of notes.

"Alright, just put the thing on the table. Let me make some space." Jassim moves towards the table to clear some space but stops by Fey. "Do I have something in my teeth or is your friend mute?" he asks quietly as he moves some books around.

Rem marvels at the riches on display. Although he isn't personally motivated by wealth, he certainly has an aesthetic appreciation for the objects on display. Upon entering the library he cannot resist himself from asking: "By any chance does your master have books on music? Although this job keeps me housed and fed, my true passion is the discovery of new music."

Jassim stops moving papers for a moment, seems in thought, and continues. "If there are any notation sheets, they will probably be in the salon. That's where Master Ghaff used to practice and host involving musicians." he continues after a short pause. "Well, there probably are some books with music sheets here, but I have no idea how this is all organised. Might have to look. Not that I have anything to but stand near the door tonight. Place is dead empty."

The book you have in your possession is a hefty tome bound in cedar-tone sanded goat leather. The cover is engraved in gold, showing a horizontal ellipse divided into two halves. Dunes are depicted in the top half, and sea waves in the bottom half. The symbol of Katapesh's College of Dimensional Studies.

The book is titled Advanced Protective Measures in Practical Arcane Relocation and Summons: Stability, Warding, Binding, Instructor Efsek and faculty, Volume 2

"My apologies." Said Fabian, after having unintentionally kept this man waiting so long. "In terms of books, I guess go for a biography of someone interesting? People make for good page-turners, in my experience."

Jassim turns his head to Fabian with a slight chuckle. He walks up to the knight.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you there. There could be some biography books here, but I don't recall seeing anything about you."

"But we can work on that." He picks up an empty page and a quill. "You talk... Slowly. And I'll write it down."

The guard is clearly distracted for the time being.

Before Jassim moves along, Fey grins at him and shakes her head 'no' at the question about Fabian, but doesn't get a chance to elaborate before he moves away to flirt some more. The sorceress glances at Rem and shrugs, bemused, before peering around the room.

No mirrors... she thinks suddenly, raising her eyebrows. How odd. Fey files the information away for later, and while Jassim is distracted, she takes a moment to think about her knowledge of libraries and how they might be organized before tackling the issue of seeing in the book can be replaced in here.

Lore: Academia: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Thought it might be worth a try!

As the group heads towards the library, Endoin mentions to no one in particular, "Are trophies kept here or is there somewhere better for this one?"

As they enter the doorway, he tries to keep himself hidden behind some of the larger people in the group and quickly casts a Message to Fey. 'A book on summoning circles probably needs a special room. Maybe Fabian and some of the others keep the guard distracted and I go check out the rest of the house? I can keep in touch in case the guard wonders where the rest of us went.'

"Do you mind if I take a look? We don't have a delivery after this, and it's not often I have a chance to peruse for music-related material in a library like this."

If Jassim does not object, Rem will peruse the library, conducting a search for the book and anything else of interest under the guise of looking for music-related materials. Rem is not optimistic it is here, but if he searches here then others can search elsewhere, if they have ideas.

Without looking at you, Jassim waves his hand dismissively. "Oh, trophies are all over the place. Master Ghaf is an avid hunter. Always looking for some exotic stuff to display in his house. Just put it on the table and he'll find somewhere to place it. I suppose we could just put it into the salon as well. If you can actually play music, we could do a little dancing on a quiet night. What trophy did you bring, anyway?" At this point, he starts to turn around to look at the delivered parcel.

Fey, you look around for a while and eventually do find a pattern to this. The books in the room vary from poetry, prose, philosophy, all the way to history books and academic literature, each genre has its cabinet or shelf, and those are sorted further by topic. This is done by little sliding rails that hold a piece of wood with the topic engraved on it. You stumble upon a section of the library dedicated to alchemy, arcane and occult studies. And looking at them, some of the books seem to be missing. The tag on the shelf states - 'Translocation'. Fortunately for you, these heavy tomes sometimes with metal corners tend to scratch the shelves, and you see there are ridges made by six books. However, the table, with the notes has only four books on it.

"Oh, I do so love books." Tamhar walks up and starts petting the spines of the books. She glances around to her companions, wondering what their next step should be.

Tamhar browses through several of the books, then turns to the guard. “I do love books on Alchemy and I am not seeing any here. Do you by chance know of any that the master of the house has not looked at in so long he may have forgotten he even has them?”

To Jassim, she holds up the partially unwrapped package: "It's a drake. Rather delicate." She turns away from him and busies herself with tediously unwrapping the item some more. When Jassim's attention stays on her, she stays turned away and casts a Message to Fabian: Keep him busy. Flirt a little. Show some ankle, if you have to.

Fey then listens to the kobold's voice in her ear and then whispers back: I think I may have found something... The guard is definitely interested in Fabian, so hopefully he doesn't mind flirting a bit. Hey, tell your wife there are some alchemy books to her left.

If Jassim turns away from her, she will take the opportunity to take a look at the four books on the table to see if they match the one her crew were to replace it with.

Three of the books are stacked on top of each other, and one is open on the table next to them. The pages on the table next to the books seem to be quick notes and page numbers referencing something with a few simple sketches of runes and geometric shapes arranged in patterns.

With that said, none of the book covers matches the book given to you in the garrison. As you move the papers to put the trophy on the table, however, you accidentally tip over the inkwell in a way that would spill the contents right onto the notes. "Careful!" Jassim turns around when hearing the ruckus and dashes for the books and notes. He attempts to quickly pick up the items when he lets out a sigh of relief. Nothing spilled out from the container.

Picking up and investigating the inkwell shows that the ink contained within is completely dried up.

"Oh, goodness! My apologies," Fey fawns, then picks up the inkwell to move it out of her way. She pauses for a moment, tilting it toward her just barely before setting it carefully out of the way.

She gestures at Endoin, Tamhar, and Rem and calls out to them: "Come see how I settle this in." She gestures to the finally unwrapped little taxidermied beast.

When they approach, Fey says very quietly: "The master of the house doesn't seem to have used this desk in some time. Maybe we need to take him up on the offer of a performance so we can find this damn book...Rem, do you feel better about performing for a crowd or sneaking about?"

Hey Fey, I don't know how to break it to you but I'm not into guys. And I'm not that great of a liar. He replied back to her. And he didn't know how to break it to Jassim either, just smiling awkwardly back at the man.

You don't have to be. Lots of men think being nice means you're into them. Just be nice and chit chat. Keep him distracted so we don't get caught and hung out to dry by our employers. You don't have to kiss or hold hands or anything. Fey Messages back quietly, pulling an apologetic face at Endoin, Tamhar, and Rem for appearing just a little crazy by replying to the Message they can't hear.

Having made it to the library and not finding the book here, Endoin ponders on the problem for a minute while looking around.

When Fey calls to him, he comes over to the table to help with the placement of the statue.

When they approach, Fey says very quietly: "The master of the house doesn't seem to have used this desk in some time. Maybe we need to take him up on the offer of a performance so we can find this damn book...Rem, do you feel better about performing for a crowd or sneaking about?"

"Hmm..." he says critically while looking at the statue, "Let's think about this for a bit." He pulls Fey and the others aside to talk privately.

"I'm seeing too many options, and none of them are all that good," Endoin whispers. "We finish placing this statue and leave with the guard and just fail the mission. We walk out of here in plain view and let the guard raise the alarm. We all sneak out of here and the guard raises the alarm when he turns around and finds that we have all disappeared. We leave one or two of us here to keep the guard distracted while the rest sneak out to search the place and just hope that the guard doesn't notice that some of us have left. We have one or two of us sneak off to search the house and hope that they don't run into major problems while on their own. We club this guard, hopefully before he raises the alarm, hide his unconscious bag of bones, and ransack the house before he wakes up and hope he can't identify us afterwards."

"If it was just me here, or I had complete authority and control over the mission, I could just choose one on my own and run with it. But I'm not in charge. I need to know what you guys are comfortable with."

Before stepping aside with Endoin and the others, Fey settles the completely unwrapped drake statue on the table. Despite the fact that this whole delivery was a farce, she didn't want to let the package get damaged.

"At this point, I'm ready to knock the guy out. I don't have any spells in my repertoire to deal with it. I don't love being put in the middle of this prank war. I wish we had been able to gather more information..." Fey sighs, twisting a strand of hair around her finger frustratedly. "Any ideas?" She asks, looking plaintively at Tamhar and Rem.

I understand if you are a bit lost for now. That will change. Not to worry.

"Oh that's beautiful. Very well done." Jassim notes as he looks t the fresh trophy in the room. "Right. Well, unless you're all in a hurry, we can take a look at the salon for some music sheets? Not like we have anything to do here overnight, anyway. Not often, at least."

I will let Tamhar take a peek at some alchemy books while Fey unwraps the package, but we can move this forward a bit. Let's say it takes a minute or so to unwrap it and store it on the table without damage.

Rem perks up at the suggestion of a concert. "As I said, we're not in a hurry and I am always open for an impromptu performance. It's why I always have my accordion with me. And there is some sheet music in the salon as well ... lead the way!" Rem plays a flourish on his accordion to accentuate his enthusiasm.

Fabian opts to try to take a page out of Fey's book and just be nice to this guy. "So Jassim, tell me about yourself." And hopefully Jassim will talk a lot about himself and he won't regret this at all.

Jassim perks up and walks over to Fabian. "Oh, what's there to say? I apprenticed at a blacksmith in Dalain, then got hired to work here. I actually helped do some of the fences and railings here on the property. Then I became a guard. The pay is good, and I get to work on the mansion now and then.", he waves his hand dismissively. "But that's just work. My passion is metalwork. You may have seen some of my creations in Dalain."

He puts his hand around Fabian's shoulder and gestures to everyone to step outside of the library. "Let's take a look at the salon, then? Listen to some music. And I will show you two piece on display there..."

You slowly peter out of the library and move through the entry hall into the salon. The salon is well decorated - Immediately upon entering, you notice two suits of armour to the left and right of the door. Polished to perfection, they seem to guard the room stoically. A large carpet is in the middle of the room, surrounded by several chairs propped against the exterior wall. On the opposite side of the room, you see a wooden platform that houses a large, dark, polished wing piano. There are numerous polished glass pane windows in this room, illuminating the room with exterior light. Well, at least during the day. At this point in time, light is provided by two brass, gaudy chandeliers set up with the shining stones you saw distributed around the house.

You enter, and Jassim leans over to Fabian. "I wonder whether you can find my work in this room." He gives you a 'subtle' hint of pointing towards the ceiling, feinting scratching his right temple.

Then he turns to Remqaur - "Some sheet music is stored near the piano. You can try looking over there. If you take requests, please play something dynamic with energy. It's been months since the last reception here. Ghaf was deep in his studies recently. His social life dwindling fast. It's been some times since I heard some music."

Endoin's Perception (E): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 1 = 17
Tamhar's Perception (E): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Fey's Perception (E): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Remquar's Perception (U): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Fabian's Perception (E): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

You disperse around the room, seemingly appreciating the decor, just sitting down to rest your feet, or simply enjoying the scenery. But you look for clues to wherever the book might be stored. Jassim keeps Fabian distracted while Remqaar walks up to the piano and starts shuffling through the sheet music conveniently placed on the piano top.

Unnerved to the extreme, Fey furrows her brows and returns the man's confused look. The sorceress looks around her quickly, catching Tamhar's eyes as she realizes the kobold is seeing what she is as well.

Fey's mind races as she considers all the details about Graf that they've picked up on, directly or otherwise, and then an idea occurs to her. She straightens and locks eyes with the man on the other side, lifting her hand to touch the mirror. As she does, she attempts to send him a Message, exaggerating her lip movements to allow for better lip-reading if the cantrip didn't work: ...Nirraj Ghaf?

Tamhar pulls down the Alchemy books and flips through them. “Wow there is some interesting stuff in these.” If the guard does not seem opposed, she slips a few in her bag.

After looking at the window, Tamhar is a bit confused. She concentrates on the movement of the man’s finger trying to decide if maybe he is sending a message. She nervously comments to Fey “Um…Do you see a man in the widow glass or am I the only one feeling like I am having a hallucination?”

“Wow there is some interesting stuff in these.” If the guard does not seem opposed, she slips a few in her bag.

Endoin comes over to see and slips one or two formula pages into his pocket as well.

I have no idea what formulas we are able to get from these. Do we pick? From what options? Cost?

“Um…Do you see a man in the widow glass or am I the only one feeling like I am having a hallucination?”

Knowing that his wife is not prone to hallucinations, Endoin checks in on things. He also stares at the darkened window. "Ghost maybe?"

Tamhar pulls down the Alchemy books and flips through them. “Wow there is some interesting stuff in these.” If the guard does not seem opposed, she slips a few in her bag.

At that point the guard was distracted, so you may go for a thievery roll if you wish. Unless you want to actually ask? Not opposed to the idea, just double checking.

Unnerved to the extreme, Fey furrows her brows and returns the man's confused look. The sorceress looks around her quickly, catching Tamhar's eyes as she realizes the kobold is seeing what she is as well.

Fey's mind races as she considers all the details about Graf that they've picked up on, directly or otherwise, and then an idea occurs to her. She straightens and locks eyes with the man on the other side, lifting her hand to touch the mirror. As she does, she attempts to send him a Message, exaggerating her lip movements to allow for better lip-reading if the cantrip didn't work: ...Nirraj Ghaf?

After looking at the window, Tamhar is a bit confused. She concentrates on the movement of the man’s finger trying to decide if maybe he is sending a message. She nervously comments to Fey “Um…Do you see a man in the widow glass or am I the only one feeling like I am having a hallucination?”

Mouthing mouthed the words, the man looks points at Fey with restrained excitement and nods his head a few times. He keeps sliding a single finger across the glass. Tamhar is watching the finger movements, and it seems like he is repeating the same pattern after a short period.

"Ohhh, I see it too. I'm glad it's not just me. No, It's Nirraj. He must have transposed himself into the reflections... or something like that..." She squints her eyes at the pattern he is drawing and tries to decipher it. "Trying to figure out what he's drawing...doesn't help that it's a reflection, so whatever he's doing will have to be flipped..."

Will keep an eye out for what to roll here

Thievery: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Endoin pockets as many of the formulas as he thinks he can get away with without much regard for what they are.

While Rem and Fabian continue to be distracted elsewhere in the salon, Ghaf continues sliding his finger on the surface, but having finally been noticed, he does so with excited speed. It's hard to tell. Everyone watching tries to decipher whatever it is that he is doing, he seems to lean closer to the glass and... screams? He repeats the process several times and cycles looking at each one of you expectantly. He stops for a moment, and seems frustrated. Then resumes the motions - gesturing at each of you, pointing to his face, and screaming again.

Endoin watches curiously. "He needs something to write on," he finally says critically. "I suppose that may be hard to get when trapped."

"Maybe one of us could fog the window? Well, maybe not you, hon. Let's not melt the window in the process." Endoin moves closer and breathes over the window trying to fog it up.