Lahdia Mizreem is declared the winner and takes 4750

Jetta Moore turns to Sorith and says "Well this is all very interesting, what do you think? Were the others bluffing. Lahdia obviously had a strong hand, no wonder she kept raising. She is going to be hard to beat now. Nothing says that she cannot just out raise everyone now, but it is considered bad form. Still we are now in second place, well played"

"Good good, why did they pick that old statue for a prize anyway? I saw it earlier, some kind of religious significance?" Falkas leans on his mop a little bit.

"Don't know really. No one listened to old blubbers if they could avoid it. Lots of strange ideas that one. I'm surprised that Well'ard didn't just top him off months ago. Statue must be something cultural or old I reckon to be worth a prize in a big tournament. It's not like its covered in diamonds or anything. I don't even think its magic or grants wishes, but Well'ard is the only one with the key to the cabinet so who knows if rubbing it summons a genie.” the gurard response to Finley

After glancing at the desks and hearing about the cells, Sinak nods and takes the keys on the ring off the wall, saying “Right.  Will check the cells.  Sounds like they are filthy.”  Sinak walks up to one of the monitors that is not currently being watched, wipes his hand against it and shows the two guards, “Just look at this muck and grime.  We are going to get this place shipshape boys.”  Sinak heads south to A17 to check out the cells, swinging the keys on his finger and carrying his trusty bucket.  

After he goes through the door, he casts guidance again, and then starts to examine and superficially clean the cells.  He acts with haste once he is alone in the room with the cells.  

Dexterity check : 7 + guidance 3 = 10

The cells are given a medium clean.

[You can store the dirty water in the buck of holding, this acts as a minor poison and if swallowed its a Con save DC12 or take 1d4 poison damage]

"It's... different,"  Sorith replies after a long moment, "I still have no idea what I'm doing and nobody's told me what this has to do with dragons. And you're, uh, welcome."

Quote from Twombley >>

After glancing at the desks and hearing about the cells, Sinak nods and takes the keys on the ring off the wall, saying “Right.  Will check the cells.  Sounds like they are filthy.”  

Sinak heads south to A17 to check out the cells, swinging the keys on his finger and carrying his trusty bucket.  

Elovar was just in the door to the monitoring room, expecting for Sinak to come out and escort Falkas and him through the security doors.  When he sees that Sinak ignored him and headed off to clean the cells, he looks to the guards and says apologetically, "We'll be out of your way shortly. While he's a great cleaner, I'm afraid it's because of an abnormal obsession with cleanliness.  Perhaps he got one of the Fey dirty in his youth and was cursed with intolerance for the slightest mess?"

Elovar steps into the room so that he can do an exaggerated pantomime of someone scrubbing a surface and then wiping his finger across it, shaking his head, scowling, and going tsk-tsk before he cleans it again. 

He paused to see whether he gets a laugh from the guards. If so, he makes a brief apology to Falkas. "Sorry, no offense to your brother, but you must admit that he can be a bit much."

Contingent on the guards' reaction when Elovar steps into the room and does his pantomime....

"Ooh! Is this where you monitor the casino? No wonder you're so on top of any security problems. Hey! I heard Well’ard say that the vault is protected by a fearsome creature nick-named 'Virgil'.  Could you give us a peek?  I tell many old tales of adventure and terrible monsters, but I wouldn't want to be one of those performers whose tales aren't informed by any first-hand experience."

The guard responds "Old skelly, yeah gives me the creeps. You can see it on that mirror there, got to keep am eye on the vault" In a mirror you see the inside of the Vault and a large skeleton. "Anyway off with you, we have work to do"

Quote from KudosWyvernspur >>

The guard responds "Old skelly, yeah gives me the creeps. You can see it on that mirror there, got to keep am eye on the vault" In a mirror you see the inside of the Vault and a large skeleton. "Anyway off with you, we have work to do"

(OOC: For example, is at a humanoid skeleton?  Any clue to the type of creature?  Is it holding a weapon?  Here's a skill check, if needed. 3, +2 if it's investigation or +5 if it's perception.)  

Elovar takes a good look to see whether there are any other details he can see via the mirror.  He says with a visible shudder, "Oooh!  Yes, you're braver than I, sitting here with that staring back at you all day."

Elovar heads back toward the door and the exit, saying loudly to Falkas, "My imagination would run wild, and I'd worry that I'd look at the mirror and see that it's looking right back at me!  Or that I'd look and see that it's no longer visible in the mirror.  But then?  I'd hear hear a noise approaching down the looong hallway." Here Elovar stops walking and pantomimes slow, deliberate steps while he taps with one hand on the hand-drum that hangs at his side, near the rim of the drum head, to make a loud but woody-sounding thump in time to his steps.  

"The hollow sound of the bony feet on the stone hallway, approaching ever closer--",  thump, "--closer--", thump.  "And then...silence.  Now?  The only thumping is the pounding of my own heart in my ears.  Looking back at the mirror, I'm embarrassed at my relief when I see the skeleton.  I must have imagined the whole thing.  Feeling silly for scaring myself, I laugh at my wild imaginings!"  A performative laugh: "Ha ha ha!  I stand up, stretch my legs, and get a drink."  

"As I sit back down, I look at the mirror--just to reassure myself, you understand?"  By this time, Elovar is back at the door, standing next Falkas and looking back into the room toward the guards.  He holds up one hand out in front of him dramatically, "But that's when I notice that the skeleton is nowhere to be seen.  I feel the hair on my arms standing on end.  As I blink and scan the mirror, certain that my eyes are playing tricks on me again, I feel a cold, bony hand...grab my shoulder!"  And here, Elovar reaches his other hand around and grabs Falkas's shoulder from behind.  "Aaaah!" 

Then, laughing to relieve the tension, Elovar says, "Ha!  See?"  He pats Falkas on the back, "First-hand experience, Falkas! I'm already thinking of new ideas for stories.  Even if I don't win a single throw of dice today, the trip will have been worth it just for the sight of that creepy skeleton in the mirror, waiting patiently in the cold vault.  Crypt?  Vault?"  More quietly, talking more to himself now,  "The story works better with a crypt, I think, but why would you have a magic mirror looking at the vault?  Maybe it's a mirror of scrying?  Hm..."

(OOC: hopefully, we've stalled enough here for Sinak to finish and return to escort us back to the casino floor.)

Quote from Ben_Evolent>>

This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results. 

(OOC: I made sure to check this time in case editing that post changed the dice roll.  The original roll was a 14, so investigation 16 or perception 19.)

Falkas started to bring the mop up after getting grabbed on the shoulder, "Ellistraee help me you can't just grab someone like that. I've done horrible things to people with a baguette, who knows what could happen with a mop." He clears his throat and looks for Sinak.

To El this looks like a Minotaur skeleton from the horns on the head

Sinak steps back through the door into the security room with the monitors.  “Well, glad they are clean…. I’ll be back to clean here later fellas, I wanted to get the worst spots first.  Now let me take these two off your hands, I’ll guide ‘em back to the floor.  Make sure to take all of your TR required breaks, burnout is a real thing.  Have a hellacious day!”  Sinak says this with a grin and then gathers Elovar and Falkas, steers them out the door and turns to the right, down the hallway of A18, then to the left, leading to the door out to the main floor.  He uses his security card when needed to open doors.  As soon as he steps outside, he says in a low voice under his breath, “Sorry guys, I had to make that look good.  Trying to sell something here, got me?  Let’s all huddle up in the main room and come up with a plan.   And I want to lay eyes on this statue myself.  Hopefully I’ve lessened the guards patrolling a little, let’s come up with our plan to pull this off, and work together.”  

Falkas nods, "I need to rest my legs for about an hour anyway! I've got some ideas on what to do on our vacation here other than cleaning everything."

Quote from Twombley >>

As soon as he steps outside, he says in a low voice under his breath, “Sorry guys, I had to make that look good.  Trying to sell something here, got me?  Let’s all huddle up in the main room and come up with a plan.   And I want to lay eyes on this statue myself.  Hopefully I’ve lessened the guards patrolling a little, let’s come up with our plan to pull this off, and work together.”  

Elovar breathes easier once they are out of the employee-only area. He says quietly, "Don't worry, Sinak. I think that we've reinforced the notion that you're possibly touched" tapping his head, "and have an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness."

As they walk toward the tournament hall, Elovar tells them that he saw the vault in one of the security mirrors: "And it looks like Virgil is an animated skeleton of a minotaur!  Quite a guard! That's going to make augmenting our haul with some coin more difficult." 

When they get to the tournament hall, he checks that Sorith and Chrys are still there.  He tries to catch Chrys's eye so that she can join them once she is able.  Then he scans the room to see whether 12 and the svirfneblin are there, too.

12 and the old cleric are still playing cards and eating dips

Sinak winks at Elovar and Falkas as they walk toward the tournament hall, saying “I like to pull off a clean heist, fellas.  And who says that I’m not touched in the head?”  Big grin.  “Keep ‘em guessing, I say.  Maybe they need some tea and biscuits later, we can lace it with something to make them sleep, and saunter out of here with that statue.  Now where are 12, Sorith and Chrys?  Let’s sit down somewhere and come up with our plan….  I just need to wipe the seats off before we sit down….”  Sinak laughs out loud at his own joke and keeps walking.

Quote from Twombley >>

Sinak winks at Elovar and Falkas as they walk toward the tournament hall, saying “I like to pull off a clean heist, fellas.  And who says that I’m not touched in the head?”  Big grin.  “Keep ‘em guessing, I say.  Maybe they need some tea and biscuits later, we can lace it with something to make them sleep, and saunter out of here with that statue.  Now where are 12, Sorith and Chrys?  Let’s sit down somewhere and come up with our plan….  I just need to wipe the seats off before we sit down….”  Sinak laughs out loud at his own joke and keeps walking.

"When we came to find you, Chrys was going to try to find 12 and then go back to Sorith, who had been pulled in to play in the tournament by one of the other players.  If Chrys is still in the tournament hall, we can find out more from her," he gestures toward the tournament hall, where Falkas is leading them.

"I don't think that there was much seating in the tournament hall except for the players.  If we want to get everyone together, that may be easier -- and less suspicious -- over in the lounge or downstairs in the restaurant. Maybe during one of your breaks?  Or I guess you could just clean nearby so that you can participate in the discussion while you work."

Jetta Moore "Well Dragons love gold and gold is certainly involved, at least for some of us. Anything you want to do before the next game?"