OOC: Door M 6/7 or the steps disappearing to a door?

"I didn't expect it would be easy but yes it's certainly trying," Grace replies.

(Quendar was referencing the one that leads to storage)

”Yes, have you ever known the Gem to be kept through there?” Vivi probes, “As much fun as it would be, it’s a little risky to be heading upstairs. Especially with some of our...... clumsier co-stars.”

"You have to search the upper floors as well," Grace says worrying a piece of her sleeve and looking at Viv. "The only other place it could be is in her collection upstairs," the halfling explains. "Once you're upstairs however I need to return to my room," she explains next. Moving forward towards the storage door Grace sighs. "We're never allowed to go in there," she gestures at the closed door.

Morgana searches through the book titled "Forbidden Rites", a tome covered in a sickly green looking leather and bound by rusted iron bands. But at Grace's comment, she asks: "What is stored in there? There was specifically cold storage on the map you drew out... and given the subject matter Virago has at hand, I can't help but wonder if there is something more sinister going on here."

Quendar looks at the door that leads to 'cold' storage and then nods at what Morgana has just said.

"As curious as I am to see if our dear Virago is a necromancer, keeping her experiments on ice until she's ready for them," Quendar says. "We're not the city constables. We're looking for an emerald to grab quickly and quietly and then find an expedient exit."

He looks towards the stairs and the door beyond it.

"I suggest we mark this for later exploration, perhaps after we've received remuneration for this evening's endeavors, and continue upstairs." 

Morgana pauses her search through the book and levels gray eyes at Quendar. "You misunderstand. If the emerald is part of some arcane ritual or focus, as Grace had mentioned, then it might be kept further on with these... potential experiments. And not upstairs in the more civil living areas. Why tip off the guards above if the item we seek is further below?"

She continues looking through the necromantic tome, both for any sign of a ritual or rite that involves the emerald, for a clue for where it might be kept. She turns a page that feels sticky, and a look of disgust crosses her face. If the Forbidden Rites book doesn't have what she is looking for, the Raising the Dead book has her next interest.

"Were I a secretive necromancer dealing with a hidden undead fetish, I would keep the materials needed close by for my rituals."

Anthix dusts himself off and heads over after dealing with the trab, being a bit more careful, to go and check out the door. (B quadrant)

"so.... Then shall we go though here and see what she's maybe hiding? I mean come on, creepy lab and library with a door something nice has to be back here.... Right?" checks the edges of the door for any trip wires or runes for spells on it before trying the door to see if it was locked.

Perception: 21 

Morgana discovers that the tomes pages are scrawled over with the same sort of secret cipher on the other papers! There's lines of text enhanced with underlining as well as text that's marked out completely with heavy strokes of a quilt. She sees there's too many pages to devise a use for the emerald. It would take real hours of devoted study to discover it.

"That's what I think too," Grace shudders. "She's had the leader of Reapers here...he has his gang bring her anything she wants and when I say anything I mean...anything. That's why I went to Kaz. If there's any one who knows the Dregs well they know to stick it to the Reapers whenever they can. The leader Roman Fredericks is often here with his daughter for dinner. They're a secretive lot but I hear things at dinner and sometimes......" the halfling shifts from foot to foot looking around as if checking if the party is being watched, "from the lab itself," she shudders again. "I think there might be bodies in there," she gestures at the closed door with another nervous expression.

Anthix studies the door. It is both trapped and locked.

OOC: Next check for traps/locks needs to be an investigation (do you add or subtract anything?)

"Dammit!" Morgana hisses, closing the book in frustration. "Would it have killed you, Virago, to keep your evil notes easily decipherable?"

She closes the tome and replaces it where she found it.

Moving over to Anthix, she looks at the door with him. As the yuan-ti points out the traps and lock, she takes out her own tools. "I can take this one, but give me a hand, will you? Might need a second pair of hands to hold a spring open."

Thieves Tools (disarm, adv w/ Anthix help) 12 11

Thieves Tools (unlock, adv w/ Anthix help) 15 20

Astrid runs her fingers over the spines of some of the larger tomes, hoping a particular title might grab her, hoping it won’t literally grab her... This basement gives even her the creeps.

When Morgana gives up on deciphering the journals, Astrid gives it a go, the old fashioned way. I can do this... probably not enough time now, though.

While Morgana works on the door to the storage rooms, Quendar moves over to the stairs that lead to the other doorway. He crouches low, and examines the steps carefully, looking for false steps, warding glyphs, and conventional traps. Moving up each step until he gets to the door.

Investigation: 20  

“Hold your horses everyone!” Vivi protests, “I’ve seen way too many plays to wander into a necromancers body storage.” She performs a zombie like charade to demonstrate. 

“Quendar, how does it look up there? We’ll need to be a lot quieter if we are to go upstairs.” She fixes her eyes at the top of the stairs, her ears pricking up at every little sound. Perception 10

"Come now, Viv." Morgana quips, a lockpick dangling from her mouth as she works. "That play was trash. Who would believe that all the townspeople would just ignore the doctor's advice and go out and get bitten as a result? Anyway, zombies don't infect people by bites. It's silly!"

Morgana knows she can unlock the door but cannot disarm the trap.

Arcana check, please!

Astrid give me a intelligence check with advantage from the circlet.

Quendar finds the door isn't trapped or locked. Perception check, please.

Viv can't hear anything over the movements of the party.

Quendar Perception Check: 13  

Quendar finishes with the stairs, all while trying to ignore the discussion going on about fictitious zombies. 

Quendar can't hear anything on the other side of the door as his party members yammer on!

"I think it's a mistake to go in there," Grace whispers quietly to Quendar gesturing at the storage door still worrying the sleeve of her coat. "I don't know if it's in there but...but that's where the noises come from sometimes," she adds wide-eyed with a soft, nearly whispered tone.

"Hmm. One of you magic types want to give this a look over? Think this one might be your forte." Morgana says, examining the trap carefully with a glance over to Quendar or Astrid.

Arcana 17

“Now now Morgana, some very talented people work on that show.” Vivi tuts, “One persons trash is another’s treasure!  Besides, it’s not exactly a historical account, though it is based in some truth...”

"looks my friend I think we should listen.... Leave the door alone and walk away... Plus if there are bodies and such in there alive or dead why keep the emerald in there?" Anthix nods and chuckles slightly shifting his weight around before looking back towards the stairs that lead up. "so... Shall we head up then?" 

OOC: Edited per knowledge based on the PM.

Morgana stands, a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "Well, if the team wants to go upstairs and leave the obvious extension of the secret underground magical lair alone, that saddens me and my heart for adventure. I'm just dying to know what's past that door, but oh well. We still haven't gotten enough lay of the land upstairs, though... and unless you want to wander around blindly past unlocated guards, I say we come up with a better option first."

The slender human woman levels her eyes at the dark elf, a look of realization crossing her face.

"Quendar, you mentioned you have a little friend you can bring forth, yeah? Perhaps hit him with that invisibility spell and let him ride on Grace's shoulder. She can take the long route to her room, perhaps do some dusting of the collection displays, say hello to the guards, and we get your eyes and ears into the area without being spotted and see if the gem is upstairs or not... since Grace was kind enough to only provide a partial map of the basement."

Focusing now on the halfling, Morgana kneels down to her eye level. "Speaking of which, love, you surely have more to tell us of the upstairs, yes? And can surely help by giving Quendar's little friend the best guided tour of the mansion. Would be remiss to leave us here in the metaphorical and literal dark while the job's afoot."