"I didn't realize there was an echo in this room" Khessa looks around ironically, as the man repeats; she then turns her blue eyes back to the questioned with a hard look. "Here we ask the questions. We, the Flaming Fist" She takes out her badge and shows it to the other. "And seeing someone who, in front of a pile of corpses, instead of notifying the authorities, closes the building and starts cleaning as if nothing had happened raises a lot of questions".
"Who ordered you to take such course of action?" the blonde arcane warrior insists. "Do you realize that someone might think that you are covering up what happened here, if you continue not to cooperate? Tell us everything you know. And tell us who told you to calmly start cleaning in the middle of this carnage. And if you make me even even just slightly suspect that you are lying to us or misleading us, I will consider you an accomplice. Do I make myself clear? Well, speak. Now".
"I tried to notify the Flaming Fist at the gate before sunrise this morning, but they were too busy to be bothered. I wanted them to remove these corpses.the mop-man says. He then looks at KHESSA,"Now I am left with this mess. But, no one ordered me to do anything. I am in charge of this Bathhouse, by order of Duke Vanthampur herself. I do not take orders from the Fist, only the Duke and her family. But since you are here, I need you to remove these bodies so I can reopen the Bathhouse."
"So, you have no idea who these corpses are..." Khessa continues to examine the man "And you have no idea about the secret passages here... Or who uses them. Correct?"
If Khessa sees nothing suspicious in the man's reactions [[ OOC: and given the roll something tells me it will be so ]] the look in her blue eyes changes from hardness to empathy, as she places her hand on his shoulder: "Man, you have ended up in the middle of a game bigger than yourself. This Bath House serves as a front for a band of murderous Cultists - the same ones responsible for a large number of the murders committed in Baldur's Gate during the night lately".
"Duke Vanthampur is probably involved - I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it is unlikely that all this happened in his Bath House without his knowledge" the blonde arcane warrior continues, worried. "When he begins to feel threatened, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to either shift the blame to you or kill you for fear that you saw or heard too much. Go away, man. Take my advice. Go away and change your job. It may not be easy, it may not be right - but it will be safer".
"We, unfortunately," the tall adventuress concludes "have a job to finish right now. And something tells me that by the time we're done, the body count will have increased. Go away, man. I'm saying this for you. Go away - and disappear. Please".
“I don’t know who these are,” he looks at the bodies. “Yes, I know about the secret door. Mortlock ordered that it remain closed. But how do you know about it?”
As far as KHESSA can tell, he seems to be sincere.
The look in Khessa's blue eyes changes from hardness to empathy, as she places her hand on his shoulder: "Man, you have ended up in the middle of a game bigger than you. This Bath House serves as a front for a band of murderous Cultists - the same ones responsible for a large number of the murders committed in Baldur's Gate during the night lately. We discovered that the secret passage leads to their base".
"Mortlock is probably involved - I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it is unlikely that all this happened in his Bath House without his knowledge" the blonde arcane warrior continues, worried. "When he begins to feel threatened, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to either shift the blame to you or kill you for fear that you saw or heard too much. Go away, man. Take my advice. Go away and change your job. It may not be easy, it may not be right - but it will be safer".
"We, unfortunately," the tall adventuress concludes "have a job to finish right now. And something tells me that by the time we're done, the body count will have increased. Go away, man. I'm saying this for you. Go away - and disappear. Please".
Elias moves up to the door as Khessa enters, overhearing the exchange he watches the man trying to discern the any true meaning behind his words, insight rolled 20+4=24
For now, Rosaline remains in the shadows, watching the interrogation. She isn't as trusting as Khessa, and would prefer to keep some element of surprise in the event that something should go wrong. From her hiding spot, the inquisitor listens carefully to the conversation, trying to ascertain how truthful the man is being.
Insight: 19 (rolled in game log)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Rosebud hears what is happening inside and starts taking action. “La la la, dig and dig” she starts singing in a rather high and off key voice. “A bit from here to a bit over there” she continues. Meanwhile, dirt is flying up from the ground until a 10’ x 5’ ditch had been excavated. She twirls around and says, “In to the hole … I don’t care what you smell” She has cast Mold Earth twice.
The mop man relaxes a bit with KHESSA's touch, though ELIAS and ROSALINE can sense real fear in this man. They do not sense any malice or deception from him. ROSEBUD digs a hole and climbs in.
Tears begins to form in his eyes, "I never questioned them. You don't question the Vanthampurs. You will end up in the sewers as Otyugh dung."
He begins to shiver with the revelation of the choice that needs to be made. He simply says, "This is my life. I love running this Bathhouse. I have nowhere to go."
He then notices the others outside the door, "You have come to stop them."
Elias steps in, looks at the man, Yes friend, we are prepared to give our very lives to end to this evil so that good, honest hardworking people like can live without fear. Reaches into a pouch pulls out three gold, places it in the mans hand, now go, enjoy a day off with the family. We'll clean up after we're done. Elias pats him on the shoulder thenI'll passes through the room heading toward the secret passage.
"Well..." Khessa says to the man, encouragingly, after Elias has finished "We don't know what the future holds. Maybe when all this is over you will still be running this Bathhouse... and the only difference will be that there will be no murderous cultists hiding inside - and maybe" she finally winks "I'll become a loyal customer of yours".
After that, the blonde arcane warrior approaches the secret passage and places a corpse near it, makiing the corpse stand (supported by the handle of a tool or tied to something with a towel), so that, by opening the passage, the corpse will at first glance look like a person ready to enter.
Then the tall adventuress moves away a little, explaining: "I'm going to open the passage. If the Cultists noticed our previous intrusion, they may have placed men in the passage, ready to attack the first target they see. Maybe, that way, their first salvo will miss".
Khessa then summons a spectral hand that floats up to the secret passage and opens it. Since the corpse is now the only creature 'near' the passage (and from inside the passage it would only be seen against the light) the deception should be believable...
Then:
If ranged attacks hit the corpse:
The blonde arcane warrior runs up and enters, to charge the enemies before they can reload.
If nothing happens:
The blonde arcane warrior mutters: "Either they didn't fall for it, or they didn't post sentries. Do you dare sneak in, Rosaline?"[[ Now that the secret passage is already open, if Rosaline hides outside then enters she should be able to remain hidden. ]]
The mop-man takes ELIAS' gold coins. He then smiles at the wizards, yes, both of them, "I think you would make a better employer."
He leaves the Bathhouse to the party's devices.
KHESSA's device is to cast a Spectral Hand to use with one of the corpse to see what is now lurking behind the secret door.
Nothing.
ROSALINE will begin to venture into the darkness down the hewn limestone staircase. (I am sure someone can give this human a light.) The Barbarian Rogue has smelled worse than the combination death and raw sewage, but not a lot worse.
Khessa is relieved that there are no guards ambushing them... perhaps the Cultists didn't fully realize the intrusion after all - or at least, divided into factions as they are, they couldn't organize in time. Once inside, she resumes lighting the way as she had done before: she keeps a torch lit with magical light and has her faithful spectral hand carry it ahead of the group (renewing the two cantrips whenever they are running low).
The blonde arcane warrior suggests: "Let's head back to Bane's section... Now that their leader is dead, it should be easier to clear out the rest of the Bane Cultists - if there are any. And we also left an altar to destroy and a suit of armor to examine".
And, if no one objects, the tall adventuress leads the way there.
"If their leader is dead, the witches of Bane should be in an extremely precarious position," Rosaline agrees, following Khessa cautiously. "Though it would be in our best interests not to get overconfident... a defeated and cornered enemy is sometimes at its most dangerous."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Rosebud joins the queue back into the dungeon. She does a little hop-skip every few steps to help her keep up with the others and as a way to release some extra energy. She is please the big buxom blond is once again in the lead.
Elias will set the tigers eye back in place at the top of his staff and cast light on it, reach out to Cleo with his mind, please keep an eye out for people or creatures ahead of us and thank you friend.he'll fall in line at the back of the group letting those more suited for combat in the front.
"I didn't realize there was an echo in this room" Khessa looks around ironically, as the man repeats; she then turns her blue eyes back to the questioned with a hard look. "Here we ask the questions. We, the Flaming Fist" She takes out her badge and shows it to the other. "And seeing someone who, in front of a pile of corpses, instead of notifying the authorities, closes the building and starts cleaning as if nothing had happened raises a lot of questions".
"Who ordered you to take such course of action?" the blonde arcane warrior insists. "Do you realize that someone might think that you are covering up what happened here, if you continue not to cooperate? Tell us everything you know. And tell us who told you to calmly start cleaning in the middle of this carnage. And if you make me even even just slightly suspect that you are lying to us or misleading us, I will consider you an accomplice. Do I make myself clear? Well, speak. Now".
"I tried to notify the Flaming Fist at the gate before sunrise this morning, but they were too busy to be bothered. I wanted them to remove these corpses. the mop-man says. He then looks at KHESSA, "Now I am left with this mess. But, no one ordered me to do anything. I am in charge of this Bathhouse, by order of Duke Vanthampur herself. I do not take orders from the Fist, only the Duke and her family. But since you are here, I need you to remove these bodies so I can reopen the Bathhouse."
"So, you have no idea who these corpses are..." Khessa continues to examine the man "And you have no idea about the secret passages here... Or who uses them. Correct?"
Khessa's Insight (to try to understand if the man seems sincere or if he seems to be lying or hiding something): 9
If Khessa sees nothing suspicious in the man's reactions [[ OOC: and given the roll something tells me it will be so ]] the look in her blue eyes changes from hardness to empathy, as she places her hand on his shoulder: "Man, you have ended up in the middle of a game bigger than yourself. This Bath House serves as a front for a band of murderous Cultists - the same ones responsible for a large number of the murders committed in Baldur's Gate during the night lately".
"Duke Vanthampur is probably involved - I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it is unlikely that all this happened in his Bath House without his knowledge" the blonde arcane warrior continues, worried. "When he begins to feel threatened, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to either shift the blame to you or kill you for fear that you saw or heard too much. Go away, man. Take my advice. Go away and change your job. It may not be easy, it may not be right - but it will be safer".
"We, unfortunately," the tall adventuress concludes "have a job to finish right now. And something tells me that by the time we're done, the body count will have increased. Go away, man. I'm saying this for you. Go away - and disappear. Please".
“I don’t know who these are,” he looks at the bodies. “Yes, I know about the secret door. Mortlock ordered that it remain closed. But how do you know about it?”
As far as KHESSA can tell, he seems to be sincere.
The look in Khessa's blue eyes changes from hardness to empathy, as she places her hand on his shoulder: "Man, you have ended up in the middle of a game bigger than you. This Bath House serves as a front for a band of murderous Cultists - the same ones responsible for a large number of the murders committed in Baldur's Gate during the night lately. We discovered that the secret passage leads to their base".
"Mortlock is probably involved - I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it is unlikely that all this happened in his Bath House without his knowledge" the blonde arcane warrior continues, worried. "When he begins to feel threatened, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to either shift the blame to you or kill you for fear that you saw or heard too much. Go away, man. Take my advice. Go away and change your job. It may not be easy, it may not be right - but it will be safer".
"We, unfortunately," the tall adventuress concludes "have a job to finish right now. And something tells me that by the time we're done, the body count will have increased. Go away, man. I'm saying this for you. Go away - and disappear. Please".
Elias moves up to the door as Khessa enters, overhearing the exchange he watches the man trying to discern the any true meaning behind his words, insight rolled 20+4=24
For now, Rosaline remains in the shadows, watching the interrogation. She isn't as trusting as Khessa, and would prefer to keep some element of surprise in the event that something should go wrong. From her hiding spot, the inquisitor listens carefully to the conversation, trying to ascertain how truthful the man is being.
Insight: 19 (rolled in game log)
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
Rosebud hears what is happening inside and starts taking action. “La la la, dig and dig” she starts singing in a rather high and off key voice. “A bit from here to a bit over there” she continues. Meanwhile, dirt is flying up from the ground until a 10’ x 5’ ditch had been excavated. She twirls around and says, “In to the hole … I don’t care what you smell” She has cast Mold Earth twice.
The mop man relaxes a bit with KHESSA's touch, though ELIAS and ROSALINE can sense real fear in this man. They do not sense any malice or deception from him. ROSEBUD digs a hole and climbs in.
Tears begins to form in his eyes, "I never questioned them. You don't question the Vanthampurs. You will end up in the sewers as Otyugh dung."
He begins to shiver with the revelation of the choice that needs to be made. He simply says, "This is my life. I love running this Bathhouse. I have nowhere to go."
He then notices the others outside the door, "You have come to stop them."
Elias steps in, looks at the man, Yes friend, we are prepared to give our very lives to end to this evil so that good, honest hardworking people like can live without fear. Reaches into a pouch pulls out three gold, places it in the mans hand, now go, enjoy a day off with the family. We'll clean up after we're done. Elias pats him on the shoulder thenI'll passes through the room heading toward the secret passage.
"Well..." Khessa says to the man, encouragingly, after Elias has finished "We don't know what the future holds. Maybe when all this is over you will still be running this Bathhouse... and the only difference will be that there will be no murderous cultists hiding inside - and maybe" she finally winks "I'll become a loyal customer of yours".
After that, the blonde arcane warrior approaches the secret passage and places a corpse near it, makiing the corpse stand (supported by the handle of a tool or tied to something with a towel), so that, by opening the passage, the corpse will at first glance look like a person ready to enter.
Then the tall adventuress moves away a little, explaining: "I'm going to open the passage. If the Cultists noticed our previous intrusion, they may have placed men in the passage, ready to attack the first target they see. Maybe, that way, their first salvo will miss".
Khessa then summons a spectral hand that floats up to the secret passage and opens it. Since the corpse is now the only creature 'near' the passage (and from inside the passage it would only be seen against the light) the deception should be believable...
Then:
If ranged attacks hit the corpse:
The blonde arcane warrior runs up and enters, to charge the enemies before they can reload.
If nothing happens:
The blonde arcane warrior mutters: "Either they didn't fall for it, or they didn't post sentries. Do you dare sneak in, Rosaline?" [[ Now that the secret passage is already open, if Rosaline hides outside then enters she should be able to remain hidden. ]]
The mop-man takes ELIAS' gold coins. He then smiles at the wizards, yes, both of them, "I think you would make a better employer."
He leaves the Bathhouse to the party's devices.
KHESSA's device is to cast a Spectral Hand to use with one of the corpse to see what is now lurking behind the secret door.
Nothing.
ROSALINE will begin to venture into the darkness down the hewn limestone staircase. (I am sure someone can give this human a light.) The Barbarian Rogue has smelled worse than the combination death and raw sewage, but not a lot worse.
(Old map updated in the OOC thread.)
Khessa is relieved that there are no guards ambushing them... perhaps the Cultists didn't fully realize the intrusion after all - or at least, divided into factions as they are, they couldn't organize in time. Once inside, she resumes lighting the way as she had done before: she keeps a torch lit with magical light and has her faithful spectral hand carry it ahead of the group (renewing the two cantrips whenever they are running low).
The blonde arcane warrior suggests: "Let's head back to Bane's section... Now that their leader is dead, it should be easier to clear out the rest of the Bane Cultists - if there are any. And we also left an altar to destroy and a suit of armor to examine".
And, if no one objects, the tall adventuress leads the way there.
"If their leader is dead, the witches of Bane should be in an extremely precarious position," Rosaline agrees, following Khessa cautiously. "Though it would be in our best interests not to get overconfident... a defeated and cornered enemy is sometimes at its most dangerous."
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
Mistynip follows behind Elias and moves to the opposite corner of the table. (map updated)
Rosebud joins the queue back into the dungeon. She does a little hop-skip every few steps to help her keep up with the others and as a way to release some extra energy. She is please the big buxom blond is once again in the lead.
Elias will set the tigers eye back in place at the top of his staff and cast light on it, reach out to Cleo with his mind, please keep an eye out for people or creatures ahead of us and thank you friend. he'll fall in line at the back of the group letting those more suited for combat in the front.
The party heads back to the area where they defeated three Bane Cultist.
You will find the bodies gone, but everything else is the way it was left. The blood is even still moist in this wet environment.
(Map Added in OOC thread. For MISTYNIP and ROSALINE, blue squares represent two-foot-deep putrid water that is Difficult Terrain.)
(Where do you go?)