“Now that is fascinating. What other secret passages have you found? And what is the five leaf clover symbol all about?”, Drexon asks, a little disappointed that his magic didn’t work, but still with it enough to keep a close eye on whether the chamberlain was telling the whole truth.
"I can impart the knowledge of 3 and no more," the chamberlain says. "This is to keep you safe amd prevent foolhardy individuals to infiltrate our guild. There is a hidden room behind a stretch of wall in the master's lodging. It leads to an archive of sort. Another hidden room can be found in the apprentice lodging, this time containing provision and emergency supplies. A hidden passageway was also found behind a relief in the Chiseled Hall. We have closed that off due to the dangerous trap there. Most of them have the five-leaf clover symbol that mark a lock mechanism. While we have yet to determine its significance, we believe that it is a signature of the builder, the First Grand Mason."
Drexon,as far as you can tell, the chamberlain is relaying true information. He looks a bit besitant in imparting such information, but it is based on truth. He also seems keen to continue the tour. He remains standing in front of the mechanism for the staircase to the sewer to prevent anyone from activating it and delaying the tour.
"I appreciate your openness, I do love a good mystery. Apologies for the hard press there", Drexon says to the chamberlain with a smile.
As he continues moving along he carries on asking questions, "Do you know if it was just here that the masons built these secret passages and laid traps, or did they perhaps do similar in other buildings in the city?"
"That is something I cannot say with complete certainty," the chamberlain says. "Masons like to build with an almost tunnel-vision focus. In doing so, we tend to offend some parties when the result is not as the client expected. It is functional, but most often not as aesthetically pleasing. It is likely that there are some within the city, mainly used as a quick exit in case a client seeks retribution for unsatisfactory service. I believe the mayor's office has one such quick exit well-known by the city's residents. It is now used as an alternative entrance on some occasions so the main entrance can be free of foot traffic. There was also a trap house in the Hayknot District constructed about a century ago, but that was not built by any mason that we know of. We were only commissioned to dismantle it by the mayor's office at the time when the owner died of mysterious circumstances."
Drexon continues the tour, but is for the most part lost in thought, watching the chamberlain for signs of that other presence he thought he felt when he read his thoughts. Having depleted his reserves of his more powerful sorcery, there was nothing he could do today beyond keeping his eyes and ears open.
When there are no more questions or inquiries, the chamberlain motions everyone to follow him upstairs. The second floor of the manse is quite small, not quite encompassing the entire complex, only the workshop wing. Several windows show a good view of the city. There are only 3 doors on the second floor. The first is cordoned off. The second is closed. The third has a glass wall that shows an office.
"The First Grand Mason's office," the chamberlain says. "Everything inside the room is as the First Grand Mason left it when he retired from office. Perhaps there are a couple of alterations over the year by the housekeepers and guild curators, but most of the item's placements haven't been changed quite drastically."
Within the room, you can see a desk with scattered papers on its surface. To the side of the room are floor-to-roof bookshelves filled with scrolls and leatherbound books. It is quite sparse, but efficient in look.
Drexon and Dvark, you notice that there are faint drag marks on the flooring of the room. It is very faint and old, barely visible. It seems to originate from one of the shelves. As you look into the room, you also see something... strangely familiar. A little bit covered by a bookshelf is a bust made of a very dark stone, possibly obsidian. It is wearing a hat that is identical to Drexon's own.
Cob, there are no windows that show the outside from within the room.
"Those are the original documents," the chamberlain says. "All of them have been copied. Some are kept within the current Grand Mason's office, while some are distributed amongst the master masons according to their interests and specialty. Most of the scrolls contain designs and construction plans for most of the buildings here in Mantagard. Several notable infrastructures, such as the mayor's office, the old residential block in Hayknot District, and the older roads, were designed, if not constructed, by the First Grand Mason. Some of the books are the Grand Mason's personal journal, detailing his work and ideas, while some others are manuals and treaties on construction methods, stone divining methods, sculpting methods, and much more essential knowledge that a mason must have."
"Also," the chamberlain adds, "for those that asked about maps, I believe you can see the state of the city when the Verdant Mason was first founded." The chamberlain crouches and points toward the ceiling of the room. There, painted on the ceiling, is the map of the city of Mantagard from more than 2000 years ago. It is not as detailed as a modern map, but you can see notable spots on the map from the beautifully drawn silhouettes of a couple of buildings that you have seen in passing in the city. "Back then, the center of the city of not as it is now. As the first major infrastructure, the manse of the Masons was the center of the city. Slowly, the center shifts south to where the mayor's office currently is. Now, as you can see, the four towers of the Annex are not present. That is because the Annex wouldn't be constructed for a few centuries yet. There's the farming hamlet that eventually becomes the outer part of the Hayknot District. The marshland to the west, the Westmoor, was still wet at the time. The main village, a trading outpost of a kind, later became the Haventree District. There's also the main industrial complex at the time that would later become the Charing Crossroad District before all industrial buildings were moved to the Ironside District."
Drexon stares at the bust for a long moment, recognising what seems to be his hat. Surely there must be many like it in the world?
Watching people start to crouch, he frowns and does the same, looking to see what they are seeing. Clocking the map, slips the Octograph out his bag, and takes a picture. He then stands and looks to the chamberlain.
"That bust has a good sense of style", he says with a smile tipping his own hat at the chamberlain. "Is that the first grand mason? I guess that would be a bit vain having your own bust, someone they admired perhaps? It is obviously someone of great import".
"You can say that he is a sponsor of the First Grand Mason," the chamberlain says. "Without the money given by Lord Daxos, the Verdant Mason wouldn't exist. He was a person of unique bearing -- wealthy and quite learned albeit having a keen interest in the eldritch and mysticism. He would have been a great wizard if he had the patience for it. Unfortunately, his line ended during the War of the Best." The chamberlain looks at Drexon queerly for some time before shaking his head and turning to the rest of the people. "Still, the generosity of Lord Daxos had set the guild with substantial starting funds that we can stand on our own feet when he died and his son took the mantle as liege lord of the region. That bust was carved by the First Grand Mason himself as a token of appreciation to the Lord Daxos."
"We are nearing the end of our tour," the chamberlain says. "Apart from bathrooms and the communal pool, there is nothing else of import to show. Follow me back to the front. The shop should already be open for you to peruse on your way out."
With a flourish of motion, the chamberlain begins leading the tour group back down and out to the front hall. The previously quiet shop is bustling with activity. Shopkeepers are doing a final tidying as the tour group arrives back in the front hall.
"This concludes our tour of the Verdant Mason Guild manse," the chamberlain says. "We are grateful for your interest in our guild and ask that this tour has interested you in possibly joining us or becoming a patron of our guild. However, if neither takes your interest, we are still grateful for your continued interest in the history of our guild. With the conclusion of this tour, the inner section of the guild will be closed, but you are still permitted to peruse the shops and the Chiseled Hall. Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you goodbye."
The chamberlain leaves the tour group and returns back to the inner section of the guild hall. Around you, the other tourists have begun perusing the shops for some souvenirs. Looking out, the sun is about halfway to its peak. It's probably around 10 in the morning.
Once the chamberlain has left, and the group is sure they can talk freely, Drexon looks to the others.
"That was interesting, I got the feeling there was more to see and lots they weren't saying, but I guess that is to be expected. I also sensed something about the Chamberlain and Grand Mason, a presence if you will", he says quietly, not delving into his personal discoveries.
He turns particularly to Karm. "You have been quiet, my friend. What did you make of this place?".
Cob looks around the shop at the souvenirs, while trying to piece together what they saw while they were here.
"So lots of passageways, probably easy to get back in after dark if we use the tunnels, but does it get us anywhere?" Cob says quietly when he rejoins the others. "If these guys are in on the child stealing, maybe that's who's locked up in the apprentice quarters and not the apprentices."
“We know the Verdant Masons have ties to the Residuum. It is not ridiculous to assume they might be helping hide the children”, Drexon replies.
”It would be good to talk to an apprentice at the least. My energy is fairly depleted, I might not be of the greatest use if we go back in before I rest, but I think it would be worth doing it”.
Cob mentioning the children brings his mind back into focus, rather than being distracted by his own history. And who is to say he won’t find out more by going back in unchaperoned.
There are definetly things going on here. I get a strange vibe from this place. They show visitors a room where two apprentices went for eachothers throats as if they want to make sure people know its just something simple as that. That room didnt look good though. Or it did look too good actually. As if it was arranged.
Karm glances over to Drexon. I noticed you saved a view of the map in the Head Masons office. You didnt do that for the other room, did you?
"I agree Cob, these folk are knee deep in whatever is going on, we have to see if that includes the kidnap", Drexon whispers before he too then looks around the shop, with a particular aim of finding anything to do with the First Grand Mason and Lord Daxos. He focuses his mind on the task as he moves around.
Drexon, the shop mainly sells crafts and tools for said crafts. Other than that, there are a couple of manuals and how-tos. You take your time looking around each aisle but can find nothing on the history of the Verdant Mason, the First Grand Mason, or the Lord Daxos.
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“Now that is fascinating. What other secret passages have you found? And what is the five leaf clover symbol all about?”, Drexon asks, a little disappointed that his magic didn’t work, but still with it enough to keep a close eye on whether the chamberlain was telling the whole truth.
Insight: 12+5=17
"I can impart the knowledge of 3 and no more," the chamberlain says. "This is to keep you safe amd prevent foolhardy individuals to infiltrate our guild. There is a hidden room behind a stretch of wall in the master's lodging. It leads to an archive of sort. Another hidden room can be found in the apprentice lodging, this time containing provision and emergency supplies. A hidden passageway was also found behind a relief in the Chiseled Hall. We have closed that off due to the dangerous trap there. Most of them have the five-leaf clover symbol that mark a lock mechanism. While we have yet to determine its significance, we believe that it is a signature of the builder, the First Grand Mason."
Drexon, as far as you can tell, the chamberlain is relaying true information. He looks a bit besitant in imparting such information, but it is based on truth. He also seems keen to continue the tour. He remains standing in front of the mechanism for the staircase to the sewer to prevent anyone from activating it and delaying the tour.
"I appreciate your openness, I do love a good mystery. Apologies for the hard press there", Drexon says to the chamberlain with a smile.
As he continues moving along he carries on asking questions, "Do you know if it was just here that the masons built these secret passages and laid traps, or did they perhaps do similar in other buildings in the city?"
"That is something I cannot say with complete certainty," the chamberlain says. "Masons like to build with an almost tunnel-vision focus. In doing so, we tend to offend some parties when the result is not as the client expected. It is functional, but most often not as aesthetically pleasing. It is likely that there are some within the city, mainly used as a quick exit in case a client seeks retribution for unsatisfactory service. I believe the mayor's office has one such quick exit well-known by the city's residents. It is now used as an alternative entrance on some occasions so the main entrance can be free of foot traffic. There was also a trap house in the Hayknot District constructed about a century ago, but that was not built by any mason that we know of. We were only commissioned to dismantle it by the mayor's office at the time when the owner died of mysterious circumstances."
Drexon continues the tour, but is for the most part lost in thought, watching the chamberlain for signs of that other presence he thought he felt when he read his thoughts. Having depleted his reserves of his more powerful sorcery, there was nothing he could do today beyond keeping his eyes and ears open.
Perception: 12+5=17 (Passive: 15)
Insight: 1+5=6 (Passive: 15)
When there are no more questions or inquiries, the chamberlain motions everyone to follow him upstairs. The second floor of the manse is quite small, not quite encompassing the entire complex, only the workshop wing. Several windows show a good view of the city. There are only 3 doors on the second floor. The first is cordoned off. The second is closed. The third has a glass wall that shows an office.
"The First Grand Mason's office," the chamberlain says. "Everything inside the room is as the First Grand Mason left it when he retired from office. Perhaps there are a couple of alterations over the year by the housekeepers and guild curators, but most of the item's placements haven't been changed quite drastically."
Within the room, you can see a desk with scattered papers on its surface. To the side of the room are floor-to-roof bookshelves filled with scrolls and leatherbound books. It is quite sparse, but efficient in look.
Drexon and Dvark, you notice that there are faint drag marks on the flooring of the room. It is very faint and old, barely visible. It seems to originate from one of the shelves. As you look into the room, you also see something... strangely familiar. A little bit covered by a bookshelf is a bust made of a very dark stone, possibly obsidian. It is wearing a hat that is identical to Drexon's own.
Cob eyes the office behind the glass door, mostly looking to see if there are any windows into that room from the outside.
While he does, he asks the chamberlain a question.
"Are those prop books and scrolls in there or were those actual books the first grand mason used?"
Cob, there are no windows that show the outside from within the room.
"Those are the original documents," the chamberlain says. "All of them have been copied. Some are kept within the current Grand Mason's office, while some are distributed amongst the master masons according to their interests and specialty. Most of the scrolls contain designs and construction plans for most of the buildings here in Mantagard. Several notable infrastructures, such as the mayor's office, the old residential block in Hayknot District, and the older roads, were designed, if not constructed, by the First Grand Mason. Some of the books are the Grand Mason's personal journal, detailing his work and ideas, while some others are manuals and treaties on construction methods, stone divining methods, sculpting methods, and much more essential knowledge that a mason must have."
"Also," the chamberlain adds, "for those that asked about maps, I believe you can see the state of the city when the Verdant Mason was first founded." The chamberlain crouches and points toward the ceiling of the room. There, painted on the ceiling, is the map of the city of Mantagard from more than 2000 years ago. It is not as detailed as a modern map, but you can see notable spots on the map from the beautifully drawn silhouettes of a couple of buildings that you have seen in passing in the city. "Back then, the center of the city of not as it is now. As the first major infrastructure, the manse of the Masons was the center of the city. Slowly, the center shifts south to where the mayor's office currently is. Now, as you can see, the four towers of the Annex are not present. That is because the Annex wouldn't be constructed for a few centuries yet. There's the farming hamlet that eventually becomes the outer part of the Hayknot District. The marshland to the west, the Westmoor, was still wet at the time. The main village, a trading outpost of a kind, later became the Haventree District. There's also the main industrial complex at the time that would later become the Charing Crossroad District before all industrial buildings were moved to the Ironside District."
Drexon stares at the bust for a long moment, recognising what seems to be his hat. Surely there must be many like it in the world?
Watching people start to crouch, he frowns and does the same, looking to see what they are seeing. Clocking the map, slips the Octograph out his bag, and takes a picture. He then stands and looks to the chamberlain.
"That bust has a good sense of style", he says with a smile tipping his own hat at the chamberlain. "Is that the first grand mason? I guess that would be a bit vain having your own bust, someone they admired perhaps? It is obviously someone of great import".
"You can say that he is a sponsor of the First Grand Mason," the chamberlain says. "Without the money given by Lord Daxos, the Verdant Mason wouldn't exist. He was a person of unique bearing -- wealthy and quite learned albeit having a keen interest in the eldritch and mysticism. He would have been a great wizard if he had the patience for it. Unfortunately, his line ended during the War of the Best." The chamberlain looks at Drexon queerly for some time before shaking his head and turning to the rest of the people. "Still, the generosity of Lord Daxos had set the guild with substantial starting funds that we can stand on our own feet when he died and his son took the mantle as liege lord of the region. That bust was carved by the First Grand Mason himself as a token of appreciation to the Lord Daxos."
Drexon starts to feel uncomfortable under the gaze of the chamberlain, and begins to wonder if the chamberlain has spotted some resemblance.
He takes off his hat and looks closely at it, seemingly lost in thought for some moments. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he looks to the others.
"This has been an interesting tour, but it might be time to head out now", he says seemingly a bit rattled.
He turns to the chamberlain, "Is there much left now?".
"We are nearing the end of our tour," the chamberlain says. "Apart from bathrooms and the communal pool, there is nothing else of import to show. Follow me back to the front. The shop should already be open for you to peruse on your way out."
With a flourish of motion, the chamberlain begins leading the tour group back down and out to the front hall. The previously quiet shop is bustling with activity. Shopkeepers are doing a final tidying as the tour group arrives back in the front hall.
"This concludes our tour of the Verdant Mason Guild manse," the chamberlain says. "We are grateful for your interest in our guild and ask that this tour has interested you in possibly joining us or becoming a patron of our guild. However, if neither takes your interest, we are still grateful for your continued interest in the history of our guild. With the conclusion of this tour, the inner section of the guild will be closed, but you are still permitted to peruse the shops and the Chiseled Hall. Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you goodbye."
The chamberlain leaves the tour group and returns back to the inner section of the guild hall. Around you, the other tourists have begun perusing the shops for some souvenirs. Looking out, the sun is about halfway to its peak. It's probably around 10 in the morning.
Once the chamberlain has left, and the group is sure they can talk freely, Drexon looks to the others.
"That was interesting, I got the feeling there was more to see and lots they weren't saying, but I guess that is to be expected. I also sensed something about the Chamberlain and Grand Mason, a presence if you will", he says quietly, not delving into his personal discoveries.
He turns particularly to Karm. "You have been quiet, my friend. What did you make of this place?".
Cob looks around the shop at the souvenirs, while trying to piece together what they saw while they were here.
"So lots of passageways, probably easy to get back in after dark if we use the tunnels, but does it get us anywhere?" Cob says quietly when he rejoins the others. "If these guys are in on the child stealing, maybe that's who's locked up in the apprentice quarters and not the apprentices."
“We know the Verdant Masons have ties to the Residuum. It is not ridiculous to assume they might be helping hide the children”, Drexon replies.
”It would be good to talk to an apprentice at the least. My energy is fairly depleted, I might not be of the greatest use if we go back in before I rest, but I think it would be worth doing it”.
Cob mentioning the children brings his mind back into focus, rather than being distracted by his own history. And who is to say he won’t find out more by going back in unchaperoned.
There are definetly things going on here. I get a strange vibe from this place. They show visitors a room where two apprentices went for eachothers throats as if they want to make sure people know its just something simple as that. That room didnt look good though. Or it did look too good actually. As if it was arranged.
Karm glances over to Drexon. I noticed you saved a view of the map in the Head Masons office. You didnt do that for the other room, did you?
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
“I am afraid not, although now you mention it I wish I had”, Drexon replies.
“Let’s come back in after dark. We could use the tunnel.” Cob suggests.
"I agree Cob, these folk are knee deep in whatever is going on, we have to see if that includes the kidnap", Drexon whispers before he too then looks around the shop, with a particular aim of finding anything to do with the First Grand Mason and Lord Daxos. He focuses his mind on the task as he moves around.
Investigation (with Guidance: 9+2+4=15 (Passive: 12)
Drexon, the shop mainly sells crafts and tools for said crafts. Other than that, there are a couple of manuals and how-tos. You take your time looking around each aisle but can find nothing on the history of the Verdant Mason, the First Grand Mason, or the Lord Daxos.