Mikel's mouth falls open agape.
"Subtle... for once?! Who in the Nine Hells just blundered into my act and nearly blew the whole gaff... hmm let me see... you lot!"
"Mr I fire magic from my fingers, and Miss Pointy Metal Things do my talking! And- er, what exactly is it that you DO?" he asks Montebuth in puzzlement.
"Well, the fingers are the most obvious point....I could fire it from any point of my body, really...", Greylan mutters.
"Juh-wuh- Grey! I really don't want to know!"
"But Kallista might..."
"My finger cymbals are NOT pointy."
"I could just.... knock." Mikel says after a while, "Those chaps down the pub were fooled by my sellsword act; this character might be too. If not, we can always just duff him up when he answers the door."
The stairway rises to a landing and two huge wooden doors. Shot through with dark blue mold, the doors form an enormous round moon carved with a lunatic's jabbering face. Beneath the landing an unremnarkable wooden door appears to lead to whatyou'd assume is a tool closet under the stairs.
"We could say we're delivering lunch? I've been a waitress, I know the drill."
She considers the face on the door. "Anyone recognise that?"
Mikel looks at Kallista, "Lunch?"
*Sigh*
"He is a defender of order, a visionary, a teller and a seer. He is the guided hand of the intricate foresight and the promisary of destiny. He also has excellent fashion sense. Grey is in this year."
Montebuth makes no indication that he has made a joke, and peers at the entry into the observatory.
"But Montebuth, does that apply to metallics? Coloured armour would be lovely, but I can't afford it at the moment"
"Bhaal's balls..." Mikel breathes, "Will you all just concentrate for a minute?"
He decides to sneak up to the store cupboard... alone.
"Grey is always in."
Greylan scurries off behind Mikel, certain that he's got himself into some danger.
"They're always doing this." Kallista sighs resignedly.
"Come on Montebuth. They're bound to get into trouble without us."
"As she requires. It would not become him to allow them to perish on his watch."
With that he follows the rest of the group in, drawing his morningstar and equipping his light shield.
The door under the stairs appears to be very grubby and very locked.
"You don't want to mess with this lock, do you? Do you really think we'll find a necromancer in there?"
"What the?! Will you lot stop following me?!" Mikel exclaims.
"Yes, I am going to fiddle with the lock. It's what I do."
"Mikel, when we don't follow you, awful things happen. Or I expect they would."
Kallista draws Montebuth's attention to the door with the lunatic face.
"Who or what is that?"
Belatedly realising that Mikel would rather they didn't advertise their presence, she lowers her voice abruptly.
"Before you lot turned up, I was doing rather well with the lowlives of Daggerford, thanks. They were like... stuff... in my hands."
He examines the lunatic face, "Well, it's clearly...."
"I live in Daggerford Mikel. And I've never been "stuff" in your hands."
Pause for brain to engage.
"If you mean those scumbags you were talking to in the Happy Cow, they're working for creepy dead raisers because nobody else will have them."
Mikel looks at Kallista. "I. Know. That's why. I was. Talking to them."
*Sigh*
"Open the door already. We very obviously need to rummage through his tool shed."
"I would open the door if a barmaid, a wizard, and - what is it you DO exactly? - wouldn't keep interrupting me!"
Greylan waits patiently while Mikel fiddles with the lock for what feels like an eternity.
Greylan begins to clap softly when the distinctive 'click' is heard.
"Good show. Now, let's interrogate his necromantic garden implements."
"Do I sigh like a Waterdhavian matron everytime you cast a spell? Then allow me to practice my craft."
"Is there a whetstone in there? I forgot to sharpen my sword before we came up here."
Leaning impatiently over Grey and Mikel's shoulders.
"Will you bugger off!" Mikel hisses impatiently. "For all you know this may contain terrifying monstrosities the likes of which have not been seen by mortal eyes."
"Terrifying monstrosities the likes of which mortals have not laid eyes on? In the tool closet? I think hanging around with that half-orc ruined your brain. Now hurry up. We have to find some bones for an actual terrifying monstrosity."
"Well, if it does by any chance contain awful denizens of monstrous realms you'll need me standing right here."
While the group bickers amongst themselves, Montebuth steps to the side to examine this mysterious face on the door. He searches his memory, attempting to find anything he might have come across in his studies or discussions.
Knowledge (history) = 22
Knowledge (religion) = 16
Cleric Lore = 9
If he recalls something, he announces it quietly to the group.
Kallista abandons her nagging of Mikel in favour of sidling across to Montebuth.
"What do you think? Of the face I mean, not Mikel's lock picking skills."
The face seems to be just that, a sinister face carved into the door for no effect other than to look impressive or intimidating. The front, face, door appears to be also locked.
Mikel tries to open the door he's been lockpicking.
"Mikel, if you must mess around with locks, how about using your skills on the one we actually need open? After we've found that whetstone or broom or whatever is in there."
"Danger-broom from beyond!"
*Seeth*
"The next time we get involved in a battle, I'm going to shout 'Kallista, use your sword to hit it!' or "Grey, mutter magic words!' Let's see how you like that."
"I'm afraid you'll be too busy being unconscious."
"You're going the right way for a lockpick up that refined elven nasal passage."
Greylan dispel's Mikel's attempts at a threat with a wave of his hand. He then places his hand on Mikel's shoulder. "Now, now. Let's put it all behind us and open this gods-forsaken door, shall we?"
*Seeth*
"The next time we get involved in a battle, I'm going to shout 'Kallista, use your sword to hit it!' or "Grey, mutter magic words!' Let's see how you like that."
"You know how easily I get distracted. It's quite a good idea."
"They should approach this from another perspective."
Montebuth casts detect secret doors and begins moving around the building looking with his magically enhanced vision.
"Given enough chance even the lowliest of goblins can strike a dragon."
Kallista's gorgeous brow furrows slightly.
"Attack, yes. Survive, I think not."
A pause.
"Montebuth, that was quite rude. We're a bit better than goblins."
"All things are on a scale. He merely stated those things at both ends. Perhaps she has some preconceptions of her own abilities?"
Montebuth turns away as he finishes speaking, but you are pretty sure you saw him smirk a little before returning his gaze to the observatory walls.
Kallista catches Montebuth's sidelong expression and opens her mouth to comment. Then it occurs to her that discretion might be sensible in a situation that might contain more danger than an evil lawnmower.
"Anyone of you smart folks any closer to opening an actual door yet?" she queries.
"Almost there!"
Taking his time to get it right proves hard for Mikel with all of the others talking but eventually the door swings open, revealing what appears to be an old storage room, bits of it are dusty but the floor especially shows there has been recent use of the closet.
"Aha! There has been furtling in here!" Mikel makes a search of the storage area.
Kallista pokes her head over Mikel's shoulder. "That's so sloppy. When you dust you have to get right into the corners."
As Mikel starts to explore the room something tiny jumps out and bites his neck. The rogue can't see what has latched onto him but the rest of the group can; it's a tiny creature made of bone shards, matted hair, bits of shattered tombstones, dirt and rotting mismatched teeth.
The tiny thing bites the rogue again, taking advantage of the confusion around it.
"Mikel, get out of the way!"
Doing her best not to behead Mikel in the process, Kallista jabs at the creature.