The bag was taken by a man in a livery of Varkenbluff's colours. As Early casually observes the room, he notes that the door was left ajar and the room itself is dimly lit. There is a table in the middle of the room, with a few papers scattered about (the bag was left there). There is no any plaque on this door (or any other) but it's clear the room is "staff only". There is no special guard at the door and it is clear that the servant is here to simply help the guests with their cloaks, bags and other items unnecessary during the main event.
Both the guard captain and the thin man answered Early to the stoic look of the people who saw it all and expect nothing less of nobles. Green-haired brother and sister are simply given very polite information that the big room upstairs (and to their right) will have everything that can ease the pain of this day. (The fact that for the "welcoming committee" the pain was far from over was obvious, but the elven nobles don't have to bother themselves with such prosaic details).
Robin's wish could surely be satisfied upstares, however, the first thing anyone faced after entering the second floor was not a welcoming table but the huge and very toothy skull of an enormous beast, standing in the middle of the big room and surrounded by the relatively smaller but no less aggressively looking skeletons of different monsters. The statue west of the stairs depicting a winged satyr looks too normal and out of place in this menagerie.
Several guests with elegant glasses in their hands stand around the largest exhibit in the room. One of the guests attracts no less attention than the skeleton itself. A man slightly overweight - a clear testament to his love of good food - with silvery hair and black eyebrows, seemingly a scholar, except for the opulence of his robe that rivalled that of the nobles. With the confident and resonant voice of a professional rhetorician, he is recounting the history of the skeleton to his attentive audience.
To the right of him, you could see the passage leading to the room with beverages and so anticipated by Early platters of finger foods. Savoury tarts, crispy crostini, and delicate canapés, all meticulously arranged on long well decorated tables. A true feast for the senses, with an array of colours, textures, and aromas tantalizing the guests. The beverages, including champagne, wine, and cocktails, are all artfully arranged on a separate table. A few other guests are indulging in the delicious offerings, mingling and chatting as they graze on the sumptuous spread.
To the left of the man (and the giant skeleton), you can see a closed door with the single servant - not the guard but on seemingly guarding duty - standing in front of it. According to the map, this is the Gemstone Wing.
Seeing his companions move upward and wishing not to look suspicious, Uril follows them up the stairs but at a short distance. He trusts Lorsan is coming along too.
Upon seeing the many skeletons, Uril's natural curiosity comes into play. He looks them closely, hoping to identify what kind of monsters they belong too even before reading any plaques, if any, containing typical museum information on the displays. Uril was happy to see these bones here. They would serve as wonderful conversation pieces for him, in character as Dr. Uril Literat.
The fleeting glance at the statue confirmed only the obvious: everything is possible. The statue is of humanoid size and the satyr's clothes are too generalized to determine a specific time period or cultural origin. Hells, the man could be even a tiefling, come to think of it. Definitely a lifelike representation of a winged man with horns and hooves.
The lecture about the centrepiece of the room's exposition proved to be equally intriguing. It had nothing to do with nature but everything with magic. The man was at the part where he described (with juicy details) how that particular allosaurus (Uril recognized not the name but the type of the creatures around) was killed raized from death and sent on a rampage by a necromancer. And how it took a few wizards to bring the thing down and keep it docile. It was not said directly but heavily hinted that the orator with the silver mane was either one of them or had something to do with verifying the current magic inertness of the skeleton.
It seemed every object here was not for the curiosity about nature but had a tale of its own and not a good one.
As the group enter the building, "Prof McTurjey" makes a show of chatting to "Dr Literat", using words that sound boring and meaning nothing. He glances around the foyer, taking little notice of the layout and more of the fellow guests who have entered and are ascending the stairs. Once the scholarly pair reach the second floor, Lorsan takes a moment to genuinely admire the impressive skeletal displays before returning to the task of assessing the attendees. The pudgy guy with the fancy clothes was clearly the key into the social circle here, so immediately Lorsan prepared to insert himself into the conversation. Giving Uril a slight nudge to break his intellectual reverie, the Professor leads the Doctor over toward the small group. As soon as there is an appropriate break in the conversation, Lorsan calls out from the small crowd, speaking in a clearly sycophantic manner as though on behalf of all the assemblage:
A fascinating tale, sir, and so well-conveyed. But clearly your humility exceeds even your knowledge of this piece, and I would wager your involvement in this astonishing story is more direct that you've admitted. I pray thee, tell us what part you played in the acquisition of such a wonder.
The man's hints are too heavy to be ignored, and Lorsan chooses to nibble the bait before someone else, in order to ingratiate himself with the man and the others in the crowd. If his insertion into the group is successful, his next move will be to talk the man individually, to ask his name and inquire as to his connection with Duke Varkenbluff and what else he knows about the museum and its other pieces.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Uril had responded in kind to Lorsan's role-playing, except Uril's character relied heavily on his own knowledge. "Well, yes. The Lady who Smiles would usually appear in an avatar form who was a barefoot, crafty-faced, tomboy with brunette hair. Such description is well documented, as you know well, Professor. As you can see, this statue here is quite faithful to that depiction, although the artist seems to have chosen to sculpt sandals around her feet. Quite the blemish on the piece, if I may be so bold."
Uril hoped his sincere sharing of a religious fun-fact would encourage Lorsan in whatever he attempted next.
UPSTAIRS
"Not an appreciator of the wondrous natural but of the exaggerated fantastical..." Uril murmured under his breath. Could Uril deduce if the silver-maned man was Mr. V himself, their host for the evening?
The man was definitely not Duke Varkenbluff (who was nowhere to be seen). There was no doubt, however, that he deemed himself no less important. The man listened Lorsan's, no, Prof. McTurjey's praises with visible satisfaction, nodding to him and "Dr. Literat" slowly and importantly. "Glad to welcome colleagues," he made a pause allowing the "colleagues" to introduce themselves, "into the crown jewel of all collections. Delighted that the word of our humble work reached Baldur's Gate and brought visitors. Professor Josephus Evergreen, at your service." The man lowered ever-so-slightly his heavy silver-haired head.
"You are quite right, I did play my role in, let us call it "taming" the objects represented here. You see, Duke Varkenbluff has exquisite taste however requires some guidance in choosing the objects, while the objects themselves sometimes require a delicate touch of more magically inclined." The man gave a meaningful smile. "Of course, the curator, our dear Dr. Aldo Van Lictor is a capable administrator but to run something like this place, administrator skills alone would not get you far." He shook his head with a condescending smile. Uril could see how two strong feelings - a wish to talk about himself and a wish to (just a little bit) bad mouth the colleague fought in Prof. Evergreen's mind. Amour propre won.
"Let's take this skeleton here, in what we call "Little Chult"..." For the next fifteen minutes both "scholars" had to listen about the value of each object in the room (some were actually literally jewels, like a skeleton of a relatively small dinosaur half of which looked like made of amethyst (Prof. Evergreen retold the story of an "amethyst trap").
"Without false modesty can say, I did my part in shaping the collection. Today's grand specimen was secured by your humble servant as well." He bowed slightly. "I do not travel much these days, but I can assure you, I still keep my finger on the pulse of important discoveries!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"And we at yours, Professor!" Uril responds as to not lead the conversation with an awkward pause. As Lorsan had nudged him a moment ago, Uril felt now was the time for him to nudge the elf back. His intent was clear: he expected Lorsan to do most of the talking here as many eyes turned to them.
Once taken over to "Little Chult," Uril gladly listens to the short lecture. The additional tidbits of information were enough of a pleasure for him but, for the sake of the mission at hand, showing interest in such displays and having their personas be validated by a real professor's acknowledgement were two immense assets in pushing the team closer to success. If the information and validation come at the cost of hearing someone else brag about their accomplishments, as exaggerated as they may be, then Uril thought that this was a price he was willing to pay. Let the man's hubris be the veil that blinds him from seeing the team's real intentions.
Uril even clapped, politely and respectfully, once the man delivers the line about keeping his "fingers on the pulse of important discoveries." Secretly, Uril was glad this man was not Duke Varkenbluff.
The scribe could still multitask, however. In his mind, he tried to remember if he had ever heard the two new names that were share (Josephus Evergreen and Aldo Van Lictor):
Uril's knowledge of the people of note in Waterdeep could surprise even himself.
Based on what Uril knows, Josephus Evergreen (indeed a professor in the Colledge of Bards) appears to have a reputation for being a mediocre wizard who only gained wealth and prestige after working for Duke Varkenbluff. It's possible that he may have used his position to leverage his way into obtaining valuable artifacts for the Duke's collection. However, given his tendency towards self-aggrandizement, Uril may also be wary of taking everything he says at face value.
Aldo Van Lictor, on the other hand, is known as the strict curator of Duke Varkenbluff's museum. He likely has a thorough knowledge of the collection and the workings of the museum, and is very protective of it. So much so, that he would rather lock all the objects from public view. One would need to approach him carefully, but he may be a valuable source of information on the inner workings of the museum and the collection itself.
Having been almost overwhelmed by her initial (understandably) inability to blend into such an environment, Robin completely forgot to do an important check downstairs. While distracted by the people, and trying to fit in (or well disappear) with the crowd in the Grand Entrance, she didn't actively look for the things she mentally noted from the beautifully brilliant Doctor's map. Maybe she should write things down. Bank's will note that for later...
Right now, while floating around close to her 'brother', and strategically making her way towards the beverages, 'Flo''s mind wondered back to if she had seen that 'secret closet' and alarm the cute Doctor had question marks about in the entrance... As she did, blue hues also scanned this second floor room for similar. There was note of a possible alarm up here too. What kind of alarm would it be she wondered. Could she even disarm it? And if there wasn't a secret closet for hiding in this area, she wondered what other hidey-holes or crawl spaces existed. Surely she could at least hide, or climb?, some big fancy curtains if she needed too, right? Maybe?
As cool and impressive as this giant collection of massive things where, this 'Riser' sister could only be bribed with good alcohol to listen to so much historical information for so long before she'd hope to set her eyes on something a bit shinier. Now that doesn't mean she'd stop drinking, oh no, those fancy glasses only hold so much! Speaking of which, there's only so much room left to smuggle goodies (these ones are too big!) when one's got to take into account a large egg. Right, 'gem'. The shinies must be nearby... Robin cranes her neck and rises to her toes to continue her scan of this area... And privies... This girl's gunna need to break the seal eventually after all the liquid she's been consuming today.
One thing Robin noticed right away, was the fact that she looked very organic in this gathering. A noble girl with a glass in her hand and mildly amused to find herself in this sort of "bookish" environment... Let's just say she was not alone. But unlike other truly or pretendingly bored guests, she kept looking and searching.
Alarms proved to be difficult to find. All her experience (and the map from Dr. Dannell) told her there has to be some, yet, she could not see any. Either they were of a type she never so before, or, considering the obvious love of Varkenbluff to magic, they were of a magical nature.
However, the hidden closets Dr. mentioned, were a different matter. The building was big. Big buildings need constant cleaning, sweeping, and dusting. All of the instruments had to be stored somewhere - a law no house can escape. Robin knew what to look for and she found it. One panel on the wall of "Little Chult" looked like a moving type. She could not check right away - the room was occupied, but interestingly enough, on the other side of the wall, in the long enfilade of the 15-foot-square exhibit rooms, she spotted another moving panel and was even able to push it. Behind was indeed a hallway, holding cleaning supplies. The place had to be 5-foot-wide, 10-foot-deep.
The other doors, leading to the Gemstone wing, were locked with a guard stationed near them. But in - again - "Chult" room, Robin spotted another interesting detail - a 3-foot-high, 3-foot-wide air vent leading inside the wing.
Should she want to mark locations on the map, it would look something like this:
Comfortable (truly, marvellously designed!)and fully "lockable" privies were quite easy to find too. As well as the stair leading up, supposedly to the attic. Stairs down, however, to the basement, Robin could not spot. Had to be in some compartment one can not simply observe from the entrance.
Uril made a mental note to be extra careful around Dr. Aldo Van Lictor whenever he inevitablycame into the spotlight. Lorsan would surely want to rub shoulders with the knowledgeable Dr. as well, so Uril found an adequate moment to whisper something to the elf: "Van Lictor likely has more useful information than his white-haired storyteller, but he should be a tougher nut to crack, and one who is prone to be more suspicious of inquiries. I trust your charm will find a way."
Other than that, Uril continued to listen to Josephus's monologue. He was playing his role, but some nuggets of truthful information could still be picked from the man's speech, so Uril was truly interested still.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lorsan nods in acknowledgement of Uril's whispered prompt, and briefly replies in the same quiet tone: Quite so. Meanwhile, I'll see what more I can squeeze from this chap.
He then turns the obseqiuousness up a notch, and continues pandering to Prof Evergreen, fueling the enmity between Evergreen and Van Lictor. He attempts to guide the conversation to places where Prof. Evergreen might drop any hints regarding the security measures of Van Lictor and the museum as a whole, taking some roleplaying cues from Uril's earlier observations about the statues in the foyer.
Well, Professor, you have scant need for modesty in my company. I confess my interest is in art history rather than archaeology, but I see little here to message home about - take those ghastly statues in the foyer for example - sandals on Tymora? Really! Aldo is lucky to have your skill in procurement to compensate for his lack of taste. I certainly hope he has adequate measures in place to protect your hard-won acquisitions.
Speaking of which... if I understand you correctly - this magnificent piece here (gesturing to the large skeleton in the middle of the room) is not technically inert, but merely... dormant? I find that at once both astonishing and concerning. How do you manage to maintain the inertness in light of the risk to the rest of the collection?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Lorsan's magnetic charisma seemed to emanate from him, causing Professor Josephus Evergreen to bask in its glow with a reinforced sense of self-importance.
"My friend," he put his hand on Prof. McTurjey's shoulder, "I can not express enough my pleasure of meeting a colleague of your incredible knowledge and impeccable taste. Your observations are as flawless as your conclusions. Yes, I'm afraid I had no influence on the artistic side of this exhibition. Can confirm as well, that your guess about the skeleton is correct as well. It is my pride! Why waste a good re-animation if you can make it a part of guarding spell? The risk to the collection is minimal, the spell is normally inactive. However, when the building is closed, anyone coming too close to the skeleton will be on for a nasty surprise. Of course, I had to shield the guards from accidental re-animation of the statue or activation of alarms, but my medallions did the trick. I assure you, both we and the collection are safe. Though have to admit, the Duke probably shares your concerns and refused to place anything animated into the Gemstone wing, the room is quite secure anyway, you will see it soon. His Excellency should be here in just a few minutes."
(OOC: I am also hopping the guidance from post#107 is still in place.)
Uril's eyes go wide at the mention of re-animating a colossal fossil display to serve as a security measure! "How devilishly smart," he thought. This also meant that Plan B (wait until after the party to make a move) was suddenly much riskier. Lorsan's hunch sounded even better now: an opportunistic removal of the gem during the cerimony might be the best option ahead after all.
Uril hoped Early and Banks were working on that.
"Now, now, fellow scholars," Uril attempted to fuel the fire a bit more by playing the angel to Lorsan's devil-on-the-shoulder. It helped the scribe's performance that he truly believed on the opinion he was about to share: "Surely it might a bit unfair to not give a chance to the good Doctor to explain his own decision-making process, right? Where is Dr. van Lictor, anyhow?"
Uril's cold shower over the Professor's parade of self-admiration quite soured the mood. Not the words, though. "Oh, far from me to undermine the accomplishments of any of my colleagues, the least of all our dearest curator. Why, you had to pass him on the way here. Not blaming you for not recognizing the man, but he greeted the guests downstairs. Don't let me keep you from "getting his explanations". He turned back to Lorsan and smiled again. "Prof. McTurjey, may I interest you in a glass of Mystic Merlot? Twenty-five years, enchanting bouquet, you won't get it just anywhere. The Duke went all in on the celebration."
Early wandered through the place, magnetically drawn to the food and drink....though mostly the food. He sampled each one, totally and completely distracted for a good amount of time. Eventually he turned around and remember that he was here for a reason. His eyes darted about the room. Where had Robin gotten to? There was Uril and Lorsan. Hmmm. Well, the gemstone room isn't open yet, so might as well chat for a bit. He wondered over to the nearest attractive woman and puffed his chest out, then in a nasally voice said, "Oooh, well, this place is just delighting my eyes." He would smile a knowing smile. "So, what brings such a lovely woman to this ...uh...event?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
Uril's go at extracting information had been a bust. With nothing more than two sentences, the scribe had fully ejected himself from the circle of trust around their best lead so far. Serves him right. Perhaps this will teach the one-thirty-second-elf to stay in his lane and leave the talking to the professional silver-tongued criminals. Nonetheless, it at least looked like his sacrificial maneuver had ingratiated Prof. McTurjey even more to Prof. Josephus Evergreen... silver-linings and all that.
Uril hovered around a bit, wondering if other displays and/or rooms in the second floor were open for visitors.
It seems, Professor Evergreen was an easily offended type, like many narcissistic people. Yet, who knows, maybe his colleague, Dr. Aldo Van Lictor would see the offence to the Professor as a good sign? You never know with all these internal politickings of intellectuals. Even if not, Uril discovered that he is free to go anywhere (aside from the locked and guarded Gemstone wing). There were guards here and there but they looked more like the helpers of the Duke's staff rather than watchers of the guests. Dr. Literat could enjoy the food and the exposition, talk to the guests or even bother the personnel all he wanted. He discovered, though, that at an attempt to get to the attic the closest guard would politely direct him back to the exhibition part.
While Uril contemplated his diplomatic skills, Early enjoyed the food and the company of other guests. A dark-haired human woman, whom he chose for small talk, was indeed attractive: tall and slender with long and silky hair, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders. Fashionable gown, befitting her noble status, was not overdone, something closer to Early's and Robin's clothes. And she was properly bored or polite to respond to Early's attempt at flirting. "The same thing that brought here you, I would assume. The "stone" is on everyone's lips, it seems. This - and Varkenbluff does not show his collection often. My sister would not miss the chance to be here. Father did not have a choice but to oblige." She smiled and very slightly shrugged her perfect shoulders. "Can not say I am amused by Varkenbluff's absence but the Duke is known for his eccentric gestures."
The bag was taken by a man in a livery of Varkenbluff's colours. As Early casually observes the room, he notes that the door was left ajar and the room itself is dimly lit. There is a table in the middle of the room, with a few papers scattered about (the bag was left there). There is no any plaque on this door (or any other) but it's clear the room is "staff only". There is no special guard at the door and it is clear that the servant is here to simply help the guests with their cloaks, bags and other items unnecessary during the main event.
Both the guard captain and the thin man answered Early to the stoic look of the people who saw it all and expect nothing less of nobles. Green-haired brother and sister are simply given very polite information that the big room upstairs (and to their right) will have everything that can ease the pain of this day. (The fact that for the "welcoming committee" the pain was far from over was obvious, but the elven nobles don't have to bother themselves with such prosaic details).
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
“I need a drink…” Robin mutters, following Early in.
just an unstable unicorn.
Robin's wish could surely be satisfied upstares, however, the first thing anyone faced after entering the second floor was not a welcoming table but the huge and very toothy skull of an enormous beast, standing in the middle of the big room and surrounded by the relatively smaller but no less aggressively looking skeletons of different monsters. The statue west of the stairs depicting a winged satyr looks too normal and out of place in this menagerie.
Several guests with elegant glasses in their hands stand around the largest exhibit in the room. One of the guests attracts no less attention than the skeleton itself. A man slightly overweight - a clear testament to his love of good food - with silvery hair and black eyebrows, seemingly a scholar, except for the opulence of his robe that rivalled that of the nobles. With the confident and resonant voice of a professional rhetorician, he is recounting the history of the skeleton to his attentive audience.
To the right of him, you could see the passage leading to the room with beverages and so anticipated by Early platters of finger foods. Savoury tarts, crispy crostini, and delicate canapés, all meticulously arranged on long well decorated tables. A true feast for the senses, with an array of colours, textures, and aromas tantalizing the guests. The beverages, including champagne, wine, and cocktails, are all artfully arranged on a separate table. A few other guests are indulging in the delicious offerings, mingling and chatting as they graze on the sumptuous spread.
To the left of the man (and the giant skeleton), you can see a closed door with the single servant - not the guard but on seemingly guarding duty - standing in front of it. According to the map, this is the Gemstone Wing.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Seeing his companions move upward and wishing not to look suspicious, Uril follows them up the stairs but at a short distance. He trusts Lorsan is coming along too.
Upon seeing the many skeletons, Uril's natural curiosity comes into play. He looks them closely, hoping to identify what kind of monsters they belong too even before reading any plaques, if any, containing typical museum information on the displays. Uril was happy to see these bones here. They would serve as wonderful conversation pieces for him, in character as Dr. Uril Literat.
-> Nature check: 18
-> If hearing bits of the man's tales about the centerpiece skeleton gives Uril a bit of advantage, here's a second roll: 11
Uril also spares a glance toward the out-of-place winged satyr display. Could that be an actual living being?
-> Insight check: 14
The fleeting glance at the statue confirmed only the obvious: everything is possible. The statue is of humanoid size and the satyr's clothes are too generalized to determine a specific time period or cultural origin. Hells, the man could be even a tiefling, come to think of it. Definitely a lifelike representation of a winged man with horns and hooves.
The lecture about the centrepiece of the room's exposition proved to be equally intriguing. It had nothing to do with nature but everything with magic. The man was at the part where he described (with juicy details) how that particular allosaurus (Uril recognized not the name but the type of the creatures around) was killed raized from death and sent on a rampage by a necromancer. And how it took a few wizards to bring the thing down and keep it docile. It was not said directly but heavily hinted that the orator with the silver mane was either one of them or had something to do with verifying the current magic inertness of the skeleton.
It seemed every object here was not for the curiosity about nature but had a tale of its own and not a good one.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
As the group enter the building, "Prof McTurjey" makes a show of chatting to "Dr Literat", using words that sound boring and meaning nothing. He glances around the foyer, taking little notice of the layout and more of the fellow guests who have entered and are ascending the stairs. Once the scholarly pair reach the second floor, Lorsan takes a moment to genuinely admire the impressive skeletal displays before returning to the task of assessing the attendees. The pudgy guy with the fancy clothes was clearly the key into the social circle here, so immediately Lorsan prepared to insert himself into the conversation. Giving Uril a slight nudge to break his intellectual reverie, the Professor leads the Doctor over toward the small group. As soon as there is an appropriate break in the conversation, Lorsan calls out from the small crowd, speaking in a clearly sycophantic manner as though on behalf of all the assemblage:
A fascinating tale, sir, and so well-conveyed. But clearly your humility exceeds even your knowledge of this piece, and I would wager your involvement in this astonishing story is more direct that you've admitted. I pray thee, tell us what part you played in the acquisition of such a wonder.
The man's hints are too heavy to be ignored, and Lorsan chooses to nibble the bait before someone else, in order to ingratiate himself with the man and the others in the crowd. If his insertion into the group is successful, his next move will be to talk the man individually, to ask his name and inquire as to his connection with Duke Varkenbluff and what else he knows about the museum and its other pieces.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
STILL DOWNSTAIRS
Uril had responded in kind to Lorsan's role-playing, except Uril's character relied heavily on his own knowledge. "Well, yes. The Lady who Smiles would usually appear in an avatar form who was a barefoot, crafty-faced, tomboy with brunette hair. Such description is well documented, as you know well, Professor. As you can see, this statue here is quite faithful to that depiction, although the artist seems to have chosen to sculpt sandals around her feet. Quite the blemish on the piece, if I may be so bold."
Uril hoped his sincere sharing of a religious fun-fact would encourage Lorsan in whatever he attempted next.
UPSTAIRS
"Not an appreciator of the wondrous natural but of the exaggerated fantastical..." Uril murmured under his breath. Could Uril deduce if the silver-maned man was Mr. V himself, their host for the evening?
-> Insight check: 22
Oh... too late. Lorsan was nudging Uril closer to the man. Perhaps that would help his assessment.
The man was definitely not Duke Varkenbluff (who was nowhere to be seen). There was no doubt, however, that he deemed himself no less important. The man listened Lorsan's, no, Prof. McTurjey's praises with visible satisfaction, nodding to him and "Dr. Literat" slowly and importantly. "Glad to welcome colleagues," he made a pause allowing the "colleagues" to introduce themselves, "into the crown jewel of all collections. Delighted that the word of our humble work reached Baldur's Gate and brought visitors. Professor Josephus Evergreen, at your service." The man lowered ever-so-slightly his heavy silver-haired head.
"You are quite right, I did play my role in, let us call it "taming" the objects represented here. You see, Duke Varkenbluff has exquisite taste however requires some guidance in choosing the objects, while the objects themselves sometimes require a delicate touch of more magically inclined." The man gave a meaningful smile. "Of course, the curator, our dear Dr. Aldo Van Lictor is a capable administrator but to run something like this place, administrator skills alone would not get you far." He shook his head with a condescending smile. Uril could see how two strong feelings - a wish to talk about himself and a wish to (just a little bit) bad mouth the colleague fought in Prof. Evergreen's mind. Amour propre won.
"Let's take this skeleton here, in what we call "Little Chult"..." For the next fifteen minutes both "scholars" had to listen about the value of each object in the room (some were actually literally jewels, like a skeleton of a relatively small dinosaur half of which looked like made of amethyst (Prof. Evergreen retold the story of an "amethyst trap").
"Without false modesty can say, I did my part in shaping the collection. Today's grand specimen was secured by your humble servant as well." He bowed slightly. "I do not travel much these days, but I can assure you, I still keep my finger on the pulse of important discoveries!"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"And we at yours, Professor!" Uril responds as to not lead the conversation with an awkward pause. As Lorsan had nudged him a moment ago, Uril felt now was the time for him to nudge the elf back. His intent was clear: he expected Lorsan to do most of the talking here as many eyes turned to them.
Once taken over to "Little Chult," Uril gladly listens to the short lecture. The additional tidbits of information were enough of a pleasure for him but, for the sake of the mission at hand, showing interest in such displays and having their personas be validated by a real professor's acknowledgement were two immense assets in pushing the team closer to success. If the information and validation come at the cost of hearing someone else brag about their accomplishments, as exaggerated as they may be, then Uril thought that this was a price he was willing to pay. Let the man's hubris be the veil that blinds him from seeing the team's real intentions.
Uril even clapped, politely and respectfully, once the man delivers the line about keeping his "fingers on the pulse of important discoveries." Secretly, Uril was glad this man was not Duke Varkenbluff.
The scribe could still multitask, however. In his mind, he tried to remember if he had ever heard the two new names that were share (Josephus Evergreen and Aldo Van Lictor):
-> History check: 14
Uril's knowledge of the people of note in Waterdeep could surprise even himself.
Based on what Uril knows, Josephus Evergreen (indeed a professor in the Colledge of Bards) appears to have a reputation for being a mediocre wizard who only gained wealth and prestige after working for Duke Varkenbluff. It's possible that he may have used his position to leverage his way into obtaining valuable artifacts for the Duke's collection. However, given his tendency towards self-aggrandizement, Uril may also be wary of taking everything he says at face value.
Aldo Van Lictor, on the other hand, is known as the strict curator of Duke Varkenbluff's museum. He likely has a thorough knowledge of the collection and the workings of the museum, and is very protective of it. So much so, that he would rather lock all the objects from public view. One would need to approach him carefully, but he may be a valuable source of information on the inner workings of the museum and the collection itself.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Having been almost overwhelmed by her initial (understandably) inability to blend into such an environment, Robin completely forgot to do an important check downstairs. While distracted by the people, and trying to fit in (or well disappear) with the crowd in the Grand Entrance, she didn't actively look for the things she mentally noted from the beautifully brilliant Doctor's map. Maybe she should write things down. Bank's will note that for later...
Right now, while floating around close to her 'brother', and strategically making her way towards the beverages, 'Flo''s mind wondered back to if she had seen that 'secret closet' and alarm the cute Doctor had question marks about in the entrance... As she did, blue hues also scanned this second floor room for similar. There was note of a possible alarm up here too. What kind of alarm would it be she wondered. Could she even disarm it? And if there wasn't a secret closet for hiding in this area, she wondered what other hidey-holes or crawl spaces existed. Surely she could at least hide, or climb?, some big fancy curtains if she needed too, right? Maybe?
As cool and impressive as this giant collection of massive things where, this 'Riser' sister could only be bribed with good alcohol to listen to so much historical information for so long before she'd hope to set her eyes on something a bit shinier. Now that doesn't mean she'd stop drinking, oh no, those fancy glasses only hold so much! Speaking of which, there's only so much room left to smuggle goodies (these ones are too big!) when one's got to take into account a large egg. Right, 'gem'. The shinies must be nearby... Robin cranes her neck and rises to her toes to continue her scan of this area... And privies... This girl's gunna need to break the seal eventually after all the liquid she's been consuming today.
just an unstable unicorn.
One thing Robin noticed right away, was the fact that she looked very organic in this gathering. A noble girl with a glass in her hand and mildly amused to find herself in this sort of "bookish" environment... Let's just say she was not alone. But unlike other truly or pretendingly bored guests, she kept looking and searching.
Alarms proved to be difficult to find. All her experience (and the map from Dr. Dannell) told her there has to be some, yet, she could not see any. Either they were of a type she never so before, or, considering the obvious love of Varkenbluff to magic, they were of a magical nature.
However, the hidden closets Dr. mentioned, were a different matter. The building was big. Big buildings need constant cleaning, sweeping, and dusting. All of the instruments had to be stored somewhere - a law no house can escape. Robin knew what to look for and she found it. One panel on the wall of "Little Chult" looked like a moving type. She could not check right away - the room was occupied, but interestingly enough, on the other side of the wall, in the long enfilade of the 15-foot-square exhibit rooms, she spotted another moving panel and was even able to push it. Behind was indeed a hallway, holding cleaning supplies. The place had to be 5-foot-wide, 10-foot-deep.
The other doors, leading to the Gemstone wing, were locked with a guard stationed near them. But in - again - "Chult" room, Robin spotted another interesting detail - a 3-foot-high, 3-foot-wide air vent leading inside the wing.
Should she want to mark locations on the map, it would look something like this:
Comfortable (truly, marvellously designed!)and fully "lockable" privies were quite easy to find too. As well as the stair leading up, supposedly to the attic. Stairs down, however, to the basement, Robin could not spot. Had to be in some compartment one can not simply observe from the entrance.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Uril made a mental note to be extra careful around Dr. Aldo Van Lictor whenever he inevitablycame into the spotlight. Lorsan would surely want to rub shoulders with the knowledgeable Dr. as well, so Uril found an adequate moment to whisper something to the elf: "Van Lictor likely has more useful information than his white-haired storyteller, but he should be a tougher nut to crack, and one who is prone to be more suspicious of inquiries. I trust your charm will find a way."
Other than that, Uril continued to listen to Josephus's monologue. He was playing his role, but some nuggets of truthful information could still be picked from the man's speech, so Uril was truly interested still.
Lorsan nods in acknowledgement of Uril's whispered prompt, and briefly replies in the same quiet tone: Quite so. Meanwhile, I'll see what more I can squeeze from this chap.
He then turns the obseqiuousness up a notch, and continues pandering to Prof Evergreen, fueling the enmity between Evergreen and Van Lictor. He attempts to guide the conversation to places where Prof. Evergreen might drop any hints regarding the security measures of Van Lictor and the museum as a whole, taking some roleplaying cues from Uril's earlier observations about the statues in the foyer.
Persuasion: 12 (with Guidance? +1)
Well, Professor, you have scant need for modesty in my company. I confess my interest is in art history rather than archaeology, but I see little here to message home about - take those ghastly statues in the foyer for example - sandals on Tymora? Really! Aldo is lucky to have your skill in procurement to compensate for his lack of taste. I certainly hope he has adequate measures in place to protect your hard-won acquisitions.
Speaking of which... if I understand you correctly - this magnificent piece here (gesturing to the large skeleton in the middle of the room) is not technically inert, but merely... dormant? I find that at once both astonishing and concerning. How do you manage to maintain the inertness in light of the risk to the rest of the collection?
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Lorsan's magnetic charisma seemed to emanate from him, causing Professor Josephus Evergreen to bask in its glow with a reinforced sense of self-importance.
"My friend," he put his hand on Prof. McTurjey's shoulder, "I can not express enough my pleasure of meeting a colleague of your incredible knowledge and impeccable taste. Your observations are as flawless as your conclusions. Yes, I'm afraid I had no influence on the artistic side of this exhibition. Can confirm as well, that your guess about the skeleton is correct as well. It is my pride! Why waste a good re-animation if you can make it a part of guarding spell? The risk to the collection is minimal, the spell is normally inactive. However, when the building is closed, anyone coming too close to the skeleton will be on for a nasty surprise. Of course, I had to shield the guards from accidental re-animation of the statue or activation of alarms, but my medallions did the trick. I assure you, both we and the collection are safe. Though have to admit, the Duke probably shares your concerns and refused to place anything animated into the Gemstone wing, the room is quite secure anyway, you will see it soon. His Excellency should be here in just a few minutes."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
(OOC: I am also hopping the guidance from post#107 is still in place.)
Uril's eyes go wide at the mention of re-animating a colossal fossil display to serve as a security measure! "How devilishly smart," he thought. This also meant that Plan B (wait until after the party to make a move) was suddenly much riskier. Lorsan's hunch sounded even better now: an opportunistic removal of the gem during the cerimony might be the best option ahead after all.
Uril hoped Early and Banks were working on that.
"Now, now, fellow scholars," Uril attempted to fuel the fire a bit more by playing the angel to Lorsan's devil-on-the-shoulder. It helped the scribe's performance that he truly believed on the opinion he was about to share: "Surely it might a bit unfair to not give a chance to the good Doctor to explain his own decision-making process, right? Where is Dr. van Lictor, anyhow?"
Uril's cold shower over the Professor's parade of self-admiration quite soured the mood. Not the words, though. "Oh, far from me to undermine the accomplishments of any of my colleagues, the least of all our dearest curator. Why, you had to pass him on the way here. Not blaming you for not recognizing the man, but he greeted the guests downstairs. Don't let me keep you from "getting his explanations". He turned back to Lorsan and smiled again. "Prof. McTurjey, may I interest you in a glass of Mystic Merlot? Twenty-five years, enchanting bouquet, you won't get it just anywhere. The Duke went all in on the celebration."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Early wandered through the place, magnetically drawn to the food and drink....though mostly the food. He sampled each one, totally and completely distracted for a good amount of time. Eventually he turned around and remember that he was here for a reason. His eyes darted about the room. Where had Robin gotten to? There was Uril and Lorsan. Hmmm. Well, the gemstone room isn't open yet, so might as well chat for a bit. He wondered over to the nearest attractive woman and puffed his chest out, then in a nasally voice said, "Oooh, well, this place is just delighting my eyes." He would smile a knowing smile. "So, what brings such a lovely woman to this ...uh...event?"
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Uril's go at extracting information had been a bust. With nothing more than two sentences, the scribe had fully ejected himself from the circle of trust around their best lead so far. Serves him right. Perhaps this will teach the one-thirty-second-elf to stay in his lane and leave the talking to the professional silver-tongued criminals. Nonetheless, it at least looked like his sacrificial maneuver had ingratiated Prof. McTurjey even more to Prof. Josephus Evergreen... silver-linings and all that.
Uril hovered around a bit, wondering if other displays and/or rooms in the second floor were open for visitors.
It seems, Professor Evergreen was an easily offended type, like many narcissistic people. Yet, who knows, maybe his colleague, Dr. Aldo Van Lictor would see the offence to the Professor as a good sign? You never know with all these internal politickings of intellectuals. Even if not, Uril discovered that he is free to go anywhere (aside from the locked and guarded Gemstone wing). There were guards here and there but they looked more like the helpers of the Duke's staff rather than watchers of the guests. Dr. Literat could enjoy the food and the exposition, talk to the guests or even bother the personnel all he wanted. He discovered, though, that at an attempt to get to the attic the closest guard would politely direct him back to the exhibition part.
While Uril contemplated his diplomatic skills, Early enjoyed the food and the company of other guests. A dark-haired human woman, whom he chose for small talk, was indeed attractive: tall and slender with long and silky hair, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders. Fashionable gown, befitting her noble status, was not overdone, something closer to Early's and Robin's clothes. And she was properly bored or polite to respond to Early's attempt at flirting. "The same thing that brought here you, I would assume. The "stone" is on everyone's lips, it seems. This - and Varkenbluff does not show his collection often. My sister would not miss the chance to be here. Father did not have a choice but to oblige." She smiled and very slightly shrugged her perfect shoulders. "Can not say I am amused by Varkenbluff's absence but the Duke is known for his eccentric gestures."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice