"Well, you're welcome to walk the field to find some clues," Sabe says, "but I'm not sure you will come up with anything given the disappearance was a couple of months old. The wife will have to escort you. She's picky about who she allowed into the field since the disappearance. She built the new fencing, organized patrol, and even renovated one of the barns as dorms so the ranch hands can live on the ranch full time and help with the patrol."
Sabe waits until all of you are ready and motions you to follow him. "If you're done, let's get to the mancave," he says with a snort. "That's what I call the lodge, but don't tell anyone. The Masons are a little bit sensitive with naming their things."
He leads you out of the cottage and toward the back. Instead of a back door or a back porch, you see a shed attached to the back wall of the cottage. The door has a carving of a four-leaf clover. The door is not locked and Sabe easily opens it to show a well-varnished staircase leading down. At the end of the staircase, a long corridor stretches for quite a distance, ending at a stone door that seems to be made from a round slab of marble.
"It's down there," Sabe says as he closes the shed door when all of you already walked down. "We have to renovate the entrance, you see." He points to a section on the corridor wall that seems to be newer compared to the rest. "That's the old access way. It's a ladder hidden behind one of our library shelves. After Sider accidentally mentioned the code word, we decided to just replace the entrance so any future special requesters that come for the room won't disturb anyone in our library."
He leads you down the corridor and stops about 10 feet from the marble door. He pulls out a small flute from his pocket and begins to play a little tune. Cob, as a person who plays and studies music, you can feel something magical from it. As Sabe finishes playing the tune, a sharp and shrieking clang echoes through the corridor before a loud reverberating thump shakes the place. The marble door glows with runic symbols and rolls to the side. A notch on the wall slides out just beside the door.
"Mind the notch," Sabe warns. "That's the door lock. Don't push it without ensuring anyone in the mancave has gotten out. Don't want to be locked in."
Just as Qayne has said, this lodge is almost identical to the lodge under the Crimson Smash. The main difference is this lodge is a lot cleaner and well-kept. The other difference is instead of a flat map table in the middle, there is a structure standing on it that seemingly connects with the table.
"If you don't have anything to ask, I'll be at the cottage," Sabe says. "Stay however long you need, but don't forget to push the notch to lock the mancave again when you're done."
Drexon makes contact telepathically with Dvark, hearing his thoughts about the Pegasi thief.
"Indeed that was my thought as well, but it was so long ago I am not so sure", he replies.
As Sabe mentions it was a couple of months ago, he shakes his head. "We'll likely find nothing after so long, it is true. But if you think back, around the time did you have any visitors to your ranch, or anyone interested in your man cave?", he asks as they walk down.
"Sider?", he also inquires, assuming it is Qayne but not wanting to give that away. The bottles given to them safely hidden away in his pack shouldn't have given away the fact they came from there.
After they enter the mancave and Sabe leaves them, he takes a moment to focus himself and starts to look around, particularly interested to see if there is another escape hatch and for anything that might lead them to other stashes.
"Well, there was that one gentleman that came about maybe 3 or 4 months ago," Sabe says. "He was a special requester. I distinctly remember he left with a book or a ledger from the mancave. Didn't ask more. Not my obligation. Very memorable gentleman. Almost white hair. Navy dress suit. Some nobility or something." He pauses and stares at the wall for a moment. "Huh, maybe that should clue me. He was rather in a hurry to get in and get out. Well, that's all I can offer. After that, no one accessed the mancave until you guys."
"Yeah, Sider Qayne," Sabe answers Drexon's inquiry. "He owns the Crimson Smash. You should check the place. It's a bit rundown since their competitor stole their recipe, but they still have better liquor than any other place in the city."
The structure that stands on the middle table takes quite some time to decipher, but after seeing the table on the other lodge, you can tell that this is a map of the underground system, just like the one on the other lodge, just in 3D. The structure consists of 3 layers. The first and topmost layer is a net of thin piping that snakes through the city. This can only be the water pipelines. The second and middle layer is the sewer system. You can see that the complicated mess of tunnels isn't just confusing to navigate, but also dangerous as there is a couple of sections that have to be scaled vertically or at a steep slope and that are completely submerged underwater. Using this map would make navigating the sewer easier if you can take it with you. It will still be an arduous journey, but the map offers insight into which tunnel can be avoided to prevent you from doubling back and descending or ascending to a different level. The third and final layer is the massive toroidal hollow structure that appears to be the Annex of Mantagard. You note that, in this layer, alongside the main Annex structure, there are three chambers connected to it: one in the middle accessible through a passage in the Ironside section, one in the west connected to the Westmoor portion, and another one below the one in the middle.
Drexon and Dvark, while the other focuses on the map of the underground system, you two notice that there are recent drag marks on the floor from one of the shelves. Based on the freshness of the marks, there is a chance that while Sabe only knew of that one visitor, there may be other visitors that accessed the room via the sewer system. When you check on the shelf, you can see that it has a gap, just like the one that you found in the Crimson Smash lodge.
Cob's pointy blue ears twitch at the mention of the stolen recipe. He thinks Qayne mentioned something about that. Could that be where the firebugs were going to have their celebratory drinks?
Cob tries to pay some attention to the multi-layered map. Is it portable or does it seem too unwieldy to carry off with them?
"I wonder what was in that ledger Saget took", Drexon says to the others when they are alone. "And if he truly was the one to mutilate those Pegasi".
With that said, and the tunnel system map discovered, he looks to the rest of the room to see if there is anything else of value.
"So we have a second map and another entrance to the sewers that seems to have had more recent use. Can we determine from the new map where exactly the other stashes are? I think we will need to take that route from now on".
The map itself is stuck to the table. You fiddle with the table a bit and the map seems to slide into the table. You fiddle with it again and the map springs back up layer by layer.
From what you can see, the closest location to the lodge you are currently in is the Verdant Masons. It is denoted by the largest junction on the map and it is quite a straightforward route from the ranch lodge. Heading southeast from the junction, you will arrive at the Crimson Smash lodge after a couple of tricky turns. Heading north directly from the junction and then west will lead you to a lodge that seems to be in a residential district. Heading east and passing a couple of up-down slopes, you see a blurred-out outline of the same square room of a lodge and a cross on the tunnel leading to it; this passage is either lost or caved in or something, but has been deemed unsafe or restricted. Heading south and then a bit southwest from the junction, you find a larger lodge after snaking around and descending a bit; this one coincides roughly with the location of the Twenty-One Jack.
Drexon, as you look around the room again, you find a bundle of rope in one corner of the room. It is black in color and seems to be made from a finer material than the rope that is commonly used.
Cob gestures at all the extra details of the three layered map.
"Looks like unless we take the table with us, the map isn't coming," Cob says. "Anyone good with maps and all that? Maybe we can add to the one we took from the Crimson Smash?"
Drexon picks up the black coloured rope, looking for any further signs it is special, and a thought pops into his mind. He had found something else on their travels that might help here.
"Hold on", he says to the others whilst digging through his pockets. He pulls out a crystal and slides his finger across one of the surfaces.
An illusion of a landscape of seven mountain peaks seen from rolling yellow hills appears.
"This is an image storing device I found in Bast Trench, totally forgot about it. I think it can hold eight images, and there are currently only three or four on there. Not sure how you add more, but we could work it out", he says, looking to Karm as he mentions working it out.
Different from the previous one that looked mostly ransacked, this lodge is in pristine and well-kept condition. The shelves look maintained and everything seems to be locked inside the shelves.
Drexon, you can sense that the rope has a little bit of magic in it. As you touch it, you feel like you have handled a similar tool beforehand. For a moment, you feel your mind is in another place, cutting a similar looking rope and staring at it as it mends itself back together. You blink and you are back looking at the black rope.
"A fine rope, I have seen it's kind before. Once cut, it can magical mend itself", Drexon feeds back to the others after zoning out for a moment.
"Is this of interest to any of you?", he asks of the group absently as he puts his finger to his temple and closes his eyes a moment. The vision had been so clear but so fleeting, like a tiny piece of a living jigsaw showing another life. He desperately wanted to see more, but nothing further was forthcoming.
As you weave your magic to analyse and identify the crystal, you can feel that the magic woven into the crystal is ancient yet young. It is a piece of magic very rarely seen in your life time, but the age of the crystal's magic itself is young. Perhaps this coukd be an effect of the time lock it was under before you liberated it.
Looking deeper, you find an imprint of a name in the magic. It is in Primordial, directly translated as Eight-Light. In modern terms, it is would be called Octagram or Octograph.
As its name implies, the octograph can capture 8 images or sounds and hold it indefinitely or until replaced by another image or sound. With a tap on one of the face, you can show the image or recording held on that face. With a press on one of the face, you can capture an image or record a sound if you turn that face to a direction.
Karm holds the crystal so that Drexon can see it. Everything you said was correct. And that means we have a map right here. Karm will record and store an image of the sewer-map in one of the blank 'pages' and projects it on the most empty wall. See. He then tosses the crystal back to Drexon
"Ah", Drexon says as Karm shows him how to work the crystal and hands it back. "This would have been useful in the other stash as well, my apologies for forgetting".
He wanders over to Eremoz, "Perhaps you could carry the rope?".
"The question remains then, once we are done here, do we head to the Verdant Masons or to Twenty-One Jack? And do we travel above ground or below? Of course we have to leave here as we came, otherwise it would be suspicious".
A grin appears on his face, "I myself still fancy twenty-One Jack".
With the map problem dealt with, you begin to turn toward the shelves. Your informant, Qayne, did want you to do anything in your power to gain every shred of information that will damage the Verdant Masons.
Karm, you touch the shelves and feel no ambient magic that marks an arcane lock. Most of the shelves have a simple lock on them, while some others are easily opened by unlatching them. The one that is easily opened contains mostly history books concerning construction. There are a couple of journals that detail past trade contracts and projects of members of the Verdant Masons. The one that has simple locks on them allows a little peek through the keyhole. There are more of the same books and journals in them.
As you make your round to check every shelf and cabinet in the room, you notice 3 shelves that are different than the other. The first is the one that blocks the entrance to the sewer. It is empty. The second is a small shelf that is attached to the wall and looks different than the others, almost like a strongbox. It has a complicated set of latches and hinges that are connected to a set of combination locks. A series of clockwork mechanisms can be seen from the side, all connected to a hidden magical rune on the wall that is barely visible if you are not standing directly in front of the strongbox. The third is a shelf that is locked by a simple padlock.
Give me a couple moments i have to bridge the time 'til we know how we want to do Karm sits down legs crossed and begins to fiddle with a large wooden splinter. He ties the string to the wood and jiggles it around as if he was playing with a small cat. He then lets the string go, which continues to lift up and down as if he was still holding it and after a moment or two both the string and wood vanish. Another few moment later one of the number-padlocks lifts up and the dials are turned by an invisible force; it starts at 0-0-0 and goes to 0-0-1; 0-0-2; 0-0-3 ... 0-0-9; 0-1-0; 0-1-1 ... 0-1-9; 0-2-0 and so on. While the lock is being worked on Karm turns to the others. He'll do that for an hour or until the lock is open. Might as well have him work on it until we know how to proceed
With the strongbox lock seemingly impossible to crack without the proper tool and knowledge, Karm moves toward the other cabinet that is locked with a common padlock. It hangs in the air for a moment and its dials begin to turn.
Meanwhile, the collection from the unlocked shelves and cabinets is free to peruse. You manage to cobble a very detailed history of Mantagard, starting from the city's beginning as a mere small town until the most recent major altercation, which is the conflict between the Qayne family business and the Twenty-One Jack. You also find that the Twenty-One Jack appears to be an unofficial subsidiary of the Verdant Masons. There are mentions in one of the latest journals that the owner of the Twenty-One Jack, Julian Guileman, had approached the Verdant Masons to help him grow his establishment in exchange for half the profit and a chance to use his place as a potential lodge. The Twenty-One Jack is noted to be a seedy tavern at the edge of the city before the Verdant Masons helped it grow.
It takes roughly 15 minutes before the padlock clicks open. The number reads 3-5-1. Karm's unseen servant drops the padlock and opens the cabinet door. Immediately, a tinkle of shattering glass echoes around the room before a burst of blue vapor engulfs the unseen servant. Karm feels the spell falls. The vapor dissipates quickly.
After ensuring that nothing more untoward can happen, you look into the cabinet to find the pieces of a cracked vial. Within, you also find a familiar item known as Heward's Handy Spice Pouch by the massive cursive letter 'M' on the pouch, a pouch containing half a dozen black beads, and an ornate urn with eyes and tendrils motif containing white ash.
“I’ll gladly take the rope.” Eremoz takes the rope and uses a claw to make a small cut in the rope. He spends the time browsing the unlocked shelves. “I’m with you Drex. This Twenty-One Jack place sounds pretty interesting.”
"Well, you're welcome to walk the field to find some clues," Sabe says, "but I'm not sure you will come up with anything given the disappearance was a couple of months old. The wife will have to escort you. She's picky about who she allowed into the field since the disappearance. She built the new fencing, organized patrol, and even renovated one of the barns as dorms so the ranch hands can live on the ranch full time and help with the patrol."
Sabe waits until all of you are ready and motions you to follow him. "If you're done, let's get to the mancave," he says with a snort. "That's what I call the lodge, but don't tell anyone. The Masons are a little bit sensitive with naming their things."
He leads you out of the cottage and toward the back. Instead of a back door or a back porch, you see a shed attached to the back wall of the cottage. The door has a carving of a four-leaf clover. The door is not locked and Sabe easily opens it to show a well-varnished staircase leading down. At the end of the staircase, a long corridor stretches for quite a distance, ending at a stone door that seems to be made from a round slab of marble.
"It's down there," Sabe says as he closes the shed door when all of you already walked down. "We have to renovate the entrance, you see." He points to a section on the corridor wall that seems to be newer compared to the rest. "That's the old access way. It's a ladder hidden behind one of our library shelves. After Sider accidentally mentioned the code word, we decided to just replace the entrance so any future special requesters that come for the room won't disturb anyone in our library."
He leads you down the corridor and stops about 10 feet from the marble door. He pulls out a small flute from his pocket and begins to play a little tune. Cob, as a person who plays and studies music, you can feel something magical from it. As Sabe finishes playing the tune, a sharp and shrieking clang echoes through the corridor before a loud reverberating thump shakes the place. The marble door glows with runic symbols and rolls to the side. A notch on the wall slides out just beside the door.
"Mind the notch," Sabe warns. "That's the door lock. Don't push it without ensuring anyone in the mancave has gotten out. Don't want to be locked in."
Just as Qayne has said, this lodge is almost identical to the lodge under the Crimson Smash. The main difference is this lodge is a lot cleaner and well-kept. The other difference is instead of a flat map table in the middle, there is a structure standing on it that seemingly connects with the table.
"If you don't have anything to ask, I'll be at the cottage," Sabe says. "Stay however long you need, but don't forget to push the notch to lock the mancave again when you're done."
Drexon makes contact telepathically with Dvark, hearing his thoughts about the Pegasi thief.
"Indeed that was my thought as well, but it was so long ago I am not so sure", he replies.
As Sabe mentions it was a couple of months ago, he shakes his head. "We'll likely find nothing after so long, it is true. But if you think back, around the time did you have any visitors to your ranch, or anyone interested in your man cave?", he asks as they walk down.
"Sider?", he also inquires, assuming it is Qayne but not wanting to give that away. The bottles given to them safely hidden away in his pack shouldn't have given away the fact they came from there.
After they enter the mancave and Sabe leaves them, he takes a moment to focus himself and starts to look around, particularly interested to see if there is another escape hatch and for anything that might lead them to other stashes.
Perception (with Guidance): 10+5+3=18
"Well, there was that one gentleman that came about maybe 3 or 4 months ago," Sabe says. "He was a special requester. I distinctly remember he left with a book or a ledger from the mancave. Didn't ask more. Not my obligation. Very memorable gentleman. Almost white hair. Navy dress suit. Some nobility or something." He pauses and stares at the wall for a moment. "Huh, maybe that should clue me. He was rather in a hurry to get in and get out. Well, that's all I can offer. After that, no one accessed the mancave until you guys."
"Yeah, Sider Qayne," Sabe answers Drexon's inquiry. "He owns the Crimson Smash. You should check the place. It's a bit rundown since their competitor stole their recipe, but they still have better liquor than any other place in the city."
The structure that stands on the middle table takes quite some time to decipher, but after seeing the table on the other lodge, you can tell that this is a map of the underground system, just like the one on the other lodge, just in 3D. The structure consists of 3 layers. The first and topmost layer is a net of thin piping that snakes through the city. This can only be the water pipelines. The second and middle layer is the sewer system. You can see that the complicated mess of tunnels isn't just confusing to navigate, but also dangerous as there is a couple of sections that have to be scaled vertically or at a steep slope and that are completely submerged underwater. Using this map would make navigating the sewer easier if you can take it with you. It will still be an arduous journey, but the map offers insight into which tunnel can be avoided to prevent you from doubling back and descending or ascending to a different level. The third and final layer is the massive toroidal hollow structure that appears to be the Annex of Mantagard. You note that, in this layer, alongside the main Annex structure, there are three chambers connected to it: one in the middle accessible through a passage in the Ironside section, one in the west connected to the Westmoor portion, and another one below the one in the middle.
Drexon and Dvark, while the other focuses on the map of the underground system, you two notice that there are recent drag marks on the floor from one of the shelves. Based on the freshness of the marks, there is a chance that while Sabe only knew of that one visitor, there may be other visitors that accessed the room via the sewer system. When you check on the shelf, you can see that it has a gap, just like the one that you found in the Crimson Smash lodge.
Cob's pointy blue ears twitch at the mention of the stolen recipe. He thinks Qayne mentioned something about that. Could that be where the firebugs were going to have their celebratory drinks?
Cob tries to pay some attention to the multi-layered map. Is it portable or does it seem too unwieldy to carry off with them?
"I wonder what was in that ledger Saget took", Drexon says to the others when they are alone. "And if he truly was the one to mutilate those Pegasi".
With that said, and the tunnel system map discovered, he looks to the rest of the room to see if there is anything else of value.
"So we have a second map and another entrance to the sewers that seems to have had more recent use. Can we determine from the new map where exactly the other stashes are? I think we will need to take that route from now on".
The map itself is stuck to the table. You fiddle with the table a bit and the map seems to slide into the table. You fiddle with it again and the map springs back up layer by layer.
From what you can see, the closest location to the lodge you are currently in is the Verdant Masons. It is denoted by the largest junction on the map and it is quite a straightforward route from the ranch lodge. Heading southeast from the junction, you will arrive at the Crimson Smash lodge after a couple of tricky turns. Heading north directly from the junction and then west will lead you to a lodge that seems to be in a residential district. Heading east and passing a couple of up-down slopes, you see a blurred-out outline of the same square room of a lodge and a cross on the tunnel leading to it; this passage is either lost or caved in or something, but has been deemed unsafe or restricted. Heading south and then a bit southwest from the junction, you find a larger lodge after snaking around and descending a bit; this one coincides roughly with the location of the Twenty-One Jack.
Drexon, as you look around the room again, you find a bundle of rope in one corner of the room. It is black in color and seems to be made from a finer material than the rope that is commonly used.
Cob gestures at all the extra details of the three layered map.
"Looks like unless we take the table with us, the map isn't coming," Cob says. "Anyone good with maps and all that? Maybe we can add to the one we took from the Crimson Smash?"
Honestly, who needs a table anyways? If we have that map i don't really mind a broken table
Karm scans the walls of the mancave for anything of interest. The last contained some minor magical items, so this here might as well.
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Drexon picks up the black coloured rope, looking for any further signs it is special, and a thought pops into his mind. He had found something else on their travels that might help here.
"Hold on", he says to the others whilst digging through his pockets. He pulls out a crystal and slides his finger across one of the surfaces.
An illusion of a landscape of seven mountain peaks seen from rolling yellow hills appears.
"This is an image storing device I found in Bast Trench, totally forgot about it. I think it can hold eight images, and there are currently only three or four on there. Not sure how you add more, but we could work it out", he says, looking to Karm as he mentions working it out.
He offers Karm the crystal.
Different from the previous one that looked mostly ransacked, this lodge is in pristine and well-kept condition. The shelves look maintained and everything seems to be locked inside the shelves.
Drexon, you can sense that the rope has a little bit of magic in it. As you touch it, you feel like you have handled a similar tool beforehand. For a moment, you feel your mind is in another place, cutting a similar looking rope and staring at it as it mends itself back together. You blink and you are back looking at the black rope.
Not messing around right now. karm will spend the spell slot to identify the crystal Drexon gave him to possibly learn how it works.
Thankfully we have the capabilities of doing so. Looks beautifull. The stone and the image.
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
"A fine rope, I have seen it's kind before. Once cut, it can magical mend itself", Drexon feeds back to the others after zoning out for a moment.
"Is this of interest to any of you?", he asks of the group absently as he puts his finger to his temple and closes his eyes a moment. The vision had been so clear but so fleeting, like a tiny piece of a living jigsaw showing another life. He desperately wanted to see more, but nothing further was forthcoming.
As you weave your magic to analyse and identify the crystal, you can feel that the magic woven into the crystal is ancient yet young. It is a piece of magic very rarely seen in your life time, but the age of the crystal's magic itself is young. Perhaps this coukd be an effect of the time lock it was under before you liberated it.
Looking deeper, you find an imprint of a name in the magic. It is in Primordial, directly translated as Eight-Light. In modern terms, it is would be called Octagram or Octograph.
As its name implies, the octograph can capture 8 images or sounds and hold it indefinitely or until replaced by another image or sound. With a tap on one of the face, you can show the image or recording held on that face. With a press on one of the face, you can capture an image or record a sound if you turn that face to a direction.
Karm holds the crystal so that Drexon can see it. Everything you said was correct. And that means we have a map right here. Karm will record and store an image of the sewer-map in one of the blank 'pages' and projects it on the most empty wall. See. He then tosses the crystal back to Drexon
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
"Ah", Drexon says as Karm shows him how to work the crystal and hands it back. "This would have been useful in the other stash as well, my apologies for forgetting".
He wanders over to Eremoz, "Perhaps you could carry the rope?".
"The question remains then, once we are done here, do we head to the Verdant Masons or to Twenty-One Jack? And do we travel above ground or below? Of course we have to leave here as we came, otherwise it would be suspicious".
A grin appears on his face, "I myself still fancy twenty-One Jack".
With the map problem dealt with, you begin to turn toward the shelves. Your informant, Qayne, did want you to do anything in your power to gain every shred of information that will damage the Verdant Masons.
Karm, you touch the shelves and feel no ambient magic that marks an arcane lock. Most of the shelves have a simple lock on them, while some others are easily opened by unlatching them. The one that is easily opened contains mostly history books concerning construction. There are a couple of journals that detail past trade contracts and projects of members of the Verdant Masons. The one that has simple locks on them allows a little peek through the keyhole. There are more of the same books and journals in them.
As you make your round to check every shelf and cabinet in the room, you notice 3 shelves that are different than the other. The first is the one that blocks the entrance to the sewer. It is empty. The second is a small shelf that is attached to the wall and looks different than the others, almost like a strongbox. It has a complicated set of latches and hinges that are connected to a set of combination locks. A series of clockwork mechanisms can be seen from the side, all connected to a hidden magical rune on the wall that is barely visible if you are not standing directly in front of the strongbox. The third is a shelf that is locked by a simple padlock.
Give me a couple moments i have to bridge the time 'til we know how we want to do Karm sits down legs crossed and begins to fiddle with a large wooden splinter. He ties the string to the wood and jiggles it around as if he was playing with a small cat. He then lets the string go, which continues to lift up and down as if he was still holding it and after a moment or two both the string and wood vanish. Another few moment later one of the number-padlocks lifts up and the dials are turned by an invisible force; it starts at 0-0-0 and goes to 0-0-1; 0-0-2; 0-0-3 ... 0-0-9; 0-1-0; 0-1-1 ... 0-1-9; 0-2-0 and so on. While the lock is being worked on Karm turns to the others. He'll do that for an hour or until the lock is open. Might as well have him work on it until we know how to proceed
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
With the strongbox lock seemingly impossible to crack without the proper tool and knowledge, Karm moves toward the other cabinet that is locked with a common padlock. It hangs in the air for a moment and its dials begin to turn.
Meanwhile, the collection from the unlocked shelves and cabinets is free to peruse. You manage to cobble a very detailed history of Mantagard, starting from the city's beginning as a mere small town until the most recent major altercation, which is the conflict between the Qayne family business and the Twenty-One Jack. You also find that the Twenty-One Jack appears to be an unofficial subsidiary of the Verdant Masons. There are mentions in one of the latest journals that the owner of the Twenty-One Jack, Julian Guileman, had approached the Verdant Masons to help him grow his establishment in exchange for half the profit and a chance to use his place as a potential lodge. The Twenty-One Jack is noted to be a seedy tavern at the edge of the city before the Verdant Masons helped it grow.
It takes roughly 15 minutes before the padlock clicks open. The number reads 3-5-1. Karm's unseen servant drops the padlock and opens the cabinet door. Immediately, a tinkle of shattering glass echoes around the room before a burst of blue vapor engulfs the unseen servant. Karm feels the spell falls. The vapor dissipates quickly.
After ensuring that nothing more untoward can happen, you look into the cabinet to find the pieces of a cracked vial. Within, you also find a familiar item known as Heward's Handy Spice Pouch by the massive cursive letter 'M' on the pouch, a pouch containing half a dozen black beads, and an ornate urn with eyes and tendrils motif containing white ash.
“I’ll gladly take the rope.” Eremoz takes the rope and uses a claw to make a small cut in the rope. He spends the time browsing the unlocked shelves. “I’m with you Drex. This Twenty-One Jack place sounds pretty interesting.”
You want me to try and open another lock or should i try to figure this other stuff out? pointing towards the beads and urn
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist