While Kallith does her scouting, Octo will watch the doorman, looking to see what they may be up for if they enter through the door, whether the patrons are saying a pass phrase to enter, etc.
Just another rat. Tiny paws grip the rough boards and timbers. Scurrying from edge to edge dancing between the feet of travelers. Whiskers twitching you pause, nearly to your destination. Out of the dark a large tabby stalks forward slowly, sniffing at the air. A glance towards you the cats eyes narrow, its vision narrows as it stalks forward...
A screech as a passer by kicks the creature from its path, it leaps out of the way heading for quieter hunting grounds. A thin alley runs between Nathiars House and the building next door. The two building leaning in towards each other to touch at the upper stories. The guard stands only a couple feet away at the front entrance, it would be nearly impossible for the others to sneak down here unseen.
Just inside the alley a pair of Hand carts are stacked against the wall, a few empty barrels, casks and crates are placed atop each other, ready to be taken away. Deeper in a scurry of motion pulls you to a halt, creeping slowly around the bucket you are hiding behind. Dozens of rats clambering over a trough, the lid is closed but the beasts have chewed holes into the wood. The smell of rotting vegetation wafts through the air.
Keeping to the far wall a gently lit door is recessed into stone, a pair of candles emitting just enough light to see the small area with detail. The door is heavy iron banded wood, the hinges are on the inside. There is no knocker or handle visible. The scent of food hangs in the air here, seeping through the faint cracks of the door.
The guard greets everybody coming and going from the establishment with equal aplomb. Not wanting to look conspicuous you have hung back, out of the way. It doesn't look like a code word is used, each patron coming is greeted differently, a small conversation and a smile from the guard. You begin to feel he is as much an attendant. Strolling forward to get a better look you watch as the door swings open to allow or disgorge patrons. It opens into a large lounge, a fire burns in a stone hearth with overstuffed tables, mostly filled with patrons scattered about the room.
A young dwarf rushes from within, sobs and tears wracking her as she dashes away. The Guard turns to catch her but stops as a hand rests upon his arm. The entrance way is filled with a tall elegant woman with a serpentine tail. She smiles, shakes her head, "She will return when ready" she says then slowly turns and retreats back inside.
Dornin, still disguised as the assassin, waits patiently for Kallith to return from her search. He discusses some possible plan ideas with Octo and Chandle.
“ The door man seems quite loyal, he’s likely part of whatever cult they have going on so bribing is probably off the table. I could try to charm him, however, in the event that it doesn’t hold we would be in some serious trouble. If we plan on sneaking in, I can turn Octo invisible. But I fear invisibility only goes so far when you are that large and have hooves. We could always go the old fashioned way, just wait in line and search once we’re safe inside. I can even create a foul smell to make the patrons in line leave. Just some ideas unless someone has something else to weigh in.”
Chandle just shuffles a little nervous. <patience, let’s hear from our reconnaissance rat, then we all decide. If we manage to snatch Isabelle. We sprint out of here? I’m not familiar with boats and island fortresses but I have no better ideas to offer.>
Kalliths mouth waters at the thought of food. Wether it would have been appetizing in her humanoid form was a topic for later reflection. In any case, it seemed like there was indeed a second entrance.
The rat makes its return, turning back into a firbolg out of view of the public, then rejoining her friends. She lets them know all that she saw and adds: "I'm not sure why a kitchen door would be iron banded and completely inaccessible from the outside like that. Whoever is cooking will need to leave occasionally and deposit the trash. Maybe that could be our way in? Provided we find a way to all enter the alley unseen."
"Optionally I could try to enter alone and be ready to open it from inside, but I don't have a good feeling about that."
"Does it appear that we could get into the kitchen door without drawing attention? If so, perhaps Dornin with his disguise could enter normally and find the kitchen door and open it? Though that puts you at a risk, as we have no idea who is in there and knows the assassin. You may enter and get whisked away. Hmmm."
Kallith tries to think of all the possibilities. The place promised to hold danger, even if it displayed outward pleasantness. Going alone would be sure to be dangerous.
She says "The assassin told Dornin that Nathair would 'see you for what you are'. Do you think she will be able to spot a magical disguise?"
"We can try entering normally, as customers. Nobody here knows us, after all. Then, once inside, we can look for the entrance to the temple."
"I think entering normally makes sense. Let's get in and see what we can find" then adds to Dornin, "As far as keeping your disguise that's up to you."
Standing on the boardwalk, a couple dozen feet above the cavern floor you watch Nathairs House of Pleasure. Kallith scurried down an alley only to find a dark door, gently lit by a pair of candles, the door was locked from the inside. You watched several patrons come and go, The Mistress herself stepped out upon the stoop for a moment. With a shrug and a step of uncertainty you approach the guard, or rather the front door.
As you approach the guard, a man thick of arm and waist, soft, a shag of hair that hangs loosely about his shoulders. "Sir" he says as he nods at Dornin. A quick appraisal of his companions, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly at the presence of a Minotaur. The man is practiced in subtle social graces. Too polite to ask, or too indoctrinated to question. "The den remains unoccupied as requested" He stands back to ensure the doorway is unimpeded.
The exterior is as plain as any upon the street, yet looking into the pleasure house, you are struck by its grandeur and opulence. Intricate wrought-iron gates open to reveal an exquisite parlor to the left, illuminated by warm, golden lantern light. Soft music from harps and flutes drifts through open windows, mingling with the sweet scent of exotic flowers and rich perfumes. Velvet drapes in crimson and gold frame the entrance, obscuring the source of the laughter, unseen patrons enjoy the evening. To the right, a shadowed hallway leads into the unseen. The air is warm and inviting, promising an evening of indulgence and delight amid the gentle murmur of laughter and the clink of crystal glasses.
The guard stands, holding the door open for you to enter...
Insight DC 12
The guard is familiar with Assassin Dornin, nothing overt, just a subtle nod, a twitch of the eye that is not quite a wink.
Wisdom check DC 14
The Serpent, undoubtably your host Nathair, unless there are numerous elegant and stately Yuan-ti around here, turned to the right when she returned to the house.
The firbolg enters with trepidation, feeling slightly out of place in a place as thoughtfully decorates as this one. She resisted the temptation to resort to trickery, doing her best to simply act like another patron on shore leave.
'What lovely music...'
But she needed to remember what they were here for.
More out of instinct rather than calculus, she is drawn to follow the movements of Nathair. Kallith drifts over to the shadowed hallway and peers inside. If doing so directly feels unwise, she waits until the guard turns his back to the room, communicating her plan to her allies with much head nodding and eyebrow raising [performance 5], being more confusing than helpful.
Upon the quick and subtle communication from the guard at the door, Dornin is relieved at recognition and not question, he gives a simple nod back before continuing his entry. Standing mid-room with all his companions he looks around to see what other dangers they may encounter here, such as guards or others who may be armed. (Perception:12)
A quick glance at Kallith’s face shows she’s drawn to the right hallway. “Is this the way we proceed?” He whispers. “We should make this as quick as possible, get in, get her, get out. Its best we do not engage in combat, just run straight for the ship and throw as much stuff and distance between us and them” he continues in a whisper so quietly that even Octo may even have trouble hearing from his height.
Standing in a small reception hall, just inside the front door. Several empty but inviting chairs sit unoccupied in one corner, a actually living fern climbs to the ceiling in the other. To the left, beyond an open wrought iron gate and silken curtains leads into the parlor. The faces of several patrons glance up at your movement, yet embroiled in the pursuit of their own pleasures they linger for only an uninterested glance.
The hall leading to the right runs the course of the entire front of the building, a couple windows along the outside wall. Hazed and dark they look out, but those outside can not look in. At the far end the hallway turns to the left, at the corner of this intersection a small desk sits. A Dwarven woman, young, cherubic with a glorious smile stands waiting. While she glances back and forth between the lot of you, she doesn't bat an eye at the large Minotaur, well trained she waits but not with any impatience or demand.
His first time in a house of repute, Octo stands there like a statue. He tries to smile, but smiling makes him look angry and he drools a bit, so he stops doing it immediately.
He looks at Dornin and gives a slight nod towards the dwarf waiting at the end of the hall, wincing a bit as his horn his something above him, probably a light, but he doesn’t look up.
He thinks about dropping into a rage, summoning his anger and the strength of his ancestors so he can stop thinking about what to do, but instead, closes his eyes and takes a breath. Things slow in his mind, a little. He gives Kallith a small nudge, hoping she’ll move as he has no idea what to do.
The druid isn't used to the bureaucratic processes that commercial focused areas like these employed, so she is unsure about what to do as well, shooing sidewise glances at her companions.
She tries to see if there are any indications of where Nathair might have slithered off to [survival 16].
[Player: I'm not opposed to having Kallith stepping forward to talk to the dwarf, but since this is probably a matter of deception, maybe Dornin can take this one? Kallith isn't opposed to trickery, but that's not the same as being good at it 😁]
Dornin, in his disguise, stands with a regal posture, almost as if he is better than all around him. He strides to the dwarves woman and stands beside her, however, not facing her but glaring down the hall. He speaks to in a tone of authority, much like when he first came across the assassin hours ago. “I trust my simple asking of the den being unoccupied has been met. I would hate to see what would happen if that were not the case. Anyways, take me there and bring my company some wine. A good bottle, not the urine you give to the lesser. Oh and one more thing, inform Nathair to be expecting me, where shall I find her?” Dornin’s stands proud of himself, even though he loathes the person he impersonates, he is doing a fabulous job of being him. (Deception:24)
Octo follows Dornin down the hall to the smiling dwarf. Many things start flooding into his head, most of them directed to ‘look menacing, you’re the Assassin’s bodyguard’, but he doubts that that is the right climate for that behavoir.
As he thinks about other ways to help, he stops trying when he hears the voice…
Dornin’s voice, mimicking the assassin, sends a shiver down his back. Octo just stands there, stone face, waiting for the dwarves response.
‘I didn’t know what to do, but he did, this is good’ Octo thinks. ‘Don’t lose your shit, relax, wait, and follow the assassin, I mean Dornin.”
The Dwarven lass watches as you move down the hall towards her. A small smile on her face, it quickly slides away as Assassin Dornin addresses her. She seems taken back by the aggressiveness of his stance and tone but barely falters. "The room is free, straight ahead as always. Did you have a preference for your libation sir, a deep red appropriate for the Sanguine room?" She asks coyly.
"Nathair asked not to be disturbed but I am sure she would make an exception, she is in her office, shall I announce you?"
Looking down the hall it curls along the wall then turns left at the end. It appears to wind around the outside of the building. A half dozen closed doors can be seen, evenly spaced along its length. Each door has a symbol on it, the two closest are a pair of clasped hands, the other a single feather. Its not clear from this angle and distance what the other symbols are but you can see the side of the embossing on the door.
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While Kallith does her scouting, Octo will watch the doorman, looking to see what they may be up for if they enter through the door, whether the patrons are saying a pass phrase to enter, etc.
Insight: 20 (natural)
Just another rat. Tiny paws grip the rough boards and timbers. Scurrying from edge to edge dancing between the feet of travelers. Whiskers twitching you pause, nearly to your destination. Out of the dark a large tabby stalks forward slowly, sniffing at the air. A glance towards you the cats eyes narrow, its vision narrows as it stalks forward...
A screech as a passer by kicks the creature from its path, it leaps out of the way heading for quieter hunting grounds. A thin alley runs between Nathiars House and the building next door. The two building leaning in towards each other to touch at the upper stories. The guard stands only a couple feet away at the front entrance, it would be nearly impossible for the others to sneak down here unseen.
Just inside the alley a pair of Hand carts are stacked against the wall, a few empty barrels, casks and crates are placed atop each other, ready to be taken away. Deeper in a scurry of motion pulls you to a halt, creeping slowly around the bucket you are hiding behind. Dozens of rats clambering over a trough, the lid is closed but the beasts have chewed holes into the wood. The smell of rotting vegetation wafts through the air.
Keeping to the far wall a gently lit door is recessed into stone, a pair of candles emitting just enough light to see the small area with detail. The door is heavy iron banded wood, the hinges are on the inside. There is no knocker or handle visible. The scent of food hangs in the air here, seeping through the faint cracks of the door.
The guard greets everybody coming and going from the establishment with equal aplomb. Not wanting to look conspicuous you have hung back, out of the way. It doesn't look like a code word is used, each patron coming is greeted differently, a small conversation and a smile from the guard. You begin to feel he is as much an attendant. Strolling forward to get a better look you watch as the door swings open to allow or disgorge patrons. It opens into a large lounge, a fire burns in a stone hearth with overstuffed tables, mostly filled with patrons scattered about the room.
A young dwarf rushes from within, sobs and tears wracking her as she dashes away. The Guard turns to catch her but stops as a hand rests upon his arm. The entrance way is filled with a tall elegant woman with a serpentine tail. She smiles, shakes her head, "She will return when ready" she says then slowly turns and retreats back inside.
Dornin, still disguised as the assassin, waits patiently for Kallith to return from her search. He discusses some possible plan ideas with Octo and Chandle.
“ The door man seems quite loyal, he’s likely part of whatever cult they have going on so bribing is probably off the table. I could try to charm him, however, in the event that it doesn’t hold we would be in some serious trouble. If we plan on sneaking in, I can turn Octo invisible. But I fear invisibility only goes so far when you are that large and have hooves. We could always go the old fashioned way, just wait in line and search once we’re safe inside. I can even create a foul smell to make the patrons in line leave. Just some ideas unless someone has something else to weigh in.”
Chandle just shuffles a little nervous. <patience, let’s hear from our reconnaissance rat, then we all decide. If we manage to snatch Isabelle. We sprint out of here? I’m not familiar with boats and island fortresses but I have no better ideas to offer.>
Wise as a serpent and sly as a fox.
Kalliths mouth waters at the thought of food. Wether it would have been appetizing in her humanoid form was a topic for later reflection. In any case, it seemed like there was indeed a second entrance.
The rat makes its return, turning back into a firbolg out of view of the public, then rejoining her friends. She lets them know all that she saw and adds: "I'm not sure why a kitchen door would be iron banded and completely inaccessible from the outside like that. Whoever is cooking will need to leave occasionally and deposit the trash. Maybe that could be our way in? Provided we find a way to all enter the alley unseen."
"Optionally I could try to enter alone and be ready to open it from inside, but I don't have a good feeling about that."
"Does it appear that we could get into the kitchen door without drawing attention? If so, perhaps Dornin with his disguise could enter normally and find the kitchen door and open it? Though that puts you at a risk, as we have no idea who is in there and knows the assassin. You may enter and get whisked away. Hmmm."
Do we have a plan?
Kallith tries to think of all the possibilities. The place promised to hold danger, even if it displayed outward pleasantness. Going alone would be sure to be dangerous.
She says "The assassin told Dornin that Nathair would 'see you for what you are'. Do you think she will be able to spot a magical disguise?"
"We can try entering normally, as customers. Nobody here knows us, after all. Then, once inside, we can look for the entrance to the temple."
"I think entering normally makes sense. Let's get in and see what we can find" then adds to Dornin, "As far as keeping your disguise that's up to you."
Chandle will enter in trying to mimic the young dwarven lass who left earlier, (if she observed that scene).
Wise as a serpent and sly as a fox.
Standing on the boardwalk, a couple dozen feet above the cavern floor you watch Nathairs House of Pleasure. Kallith scurried down an alley only to find a dark door, gently lit by a pair of candles, the door was locked from the inside. You watched several patrons come and go, The Mistress herself stepped out upon the stoop for a moment. With a shrug and a step of uncertainty you approach the guard, or rather the front door.
As you approach the guard, a man thick of arm and waist, soft, a shag of hair that hangs loosely about his shoulders. "Sir" he says as he nods at Dornin. A quick appraisal of his companions, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly at the presence of a Minotaur. The man is practiced in subtle social graces. Too polite to ask, or too indoctrinated to question. "The den remains unoccupied as requested" He stands back to ensure the doorway is unimpeded.
The exterior is as plain as any upon the street, yet looking into the pleasure house, you are struck by its grandeur and opulence. Intricate wrought-iron gates open to reveal an exquisite parlor to the left, illuminated by warm, golden lantern light. Soft music from harps and flutes drifts through open windows, mingling with the sweet scent of exotic flowers and rich perfumes. Velvet drapes in crimson and gold frame the entrance, obscuring the source of the laughter, unseen patrons enjoy the evening. To the right, a shadowed hallway leads into the unseen. The air is warm and inviting, promising an evening of indulgence and delight amid the gentle murmur of laughter and the clink of crystal glasses.
The guard stands, holding the door open for you to enter...
Insight DC 12
The guard is familiar with Assassin Dornin, nothing overt, just a subtle nod, a twitch of the eye that is not quite a wink.
Wisdom check DC 14
The Serpent, undoubtably your host Nathair, unless there are numerous elegant and stately Yuan-ti around here, turned to the right when she returned to the house.
Kallith checks: [Insight 13] + [Wisdom 14]
The firbolg enters with trepidation, feeling slightly out of place in a place as thoughtfully decorates as this one. She resisted the temptation to resort to trickery, doing her best to simply act like another patron on shore leave.
'What lovely music...'
But she needed to remember what they were here for.
More out of instinct rather than calculus, she is drawn to follow the movements of Nathair. Kallith drifts over to the shadowed hallway and peers inside. If doing so directly feels unwise, she waits until the guard turns his back to the room, communicating her plan to her allies with much head nodding and eyebrow raising [performance 5], being more confusing than helpful.
Octo follows Kallith in. He has become used to being an outsider in most of the places in the lands above, but that does not make it any easier.
If this place is run by a woman with the body of a snake, a minotaur can’t be that strange, can it? he wonders.
Kallith seems to be interested with a hallway, though he is not sure why, he will look that way also.
Perception: 20 (not natural)
Just blend in, he thinks.
(Insight:15)
Upon the quick and subtle communication from the guard at the door, Dornin is relieved at recognition and not question, he gives a simple nod back before continuing his entry. Standing mid-room with all his companions he looks around to see what other dangers they may encounter here, such as guards or others who may be armed. (Perception:12)
A quick glance at Kallith’s face shows she’s drawn to the right hallway. “Is this the way we proceed?” He whispers. “We should make this as quick as possible, get in, get her, get out. Its best we do not engage in combat, just run straight for the ship and throw as much stuff and distance between us and them” he continues in a whisper so quietly that even Octo may even have trouble hearing from his height.
Standing in a small reception hall, just inside the front door. Several empty but inviting chairs sit unoccupied in one corner, a actually living fern climbs to the ceiling in the other. To the left, beyond an open wrought iron gate and silken curtains leads into the parlor. The faces of several patrons glance up at your movement, yet embroiled in the pursuit of their own pleasures they linger for only an uninterested glance.
The hall leading to the right runs the course of the entire front of the building, a couple windows along the outside wall. Hazed and dark they look out, but those outside can not look in. At the far end the hallway turns to the left, at the corner of this intersection a small desk sits. A Dwarven woman, young, cherubic with a glorious smile stands waiting. While she glances back and forth between the lot of you, she doesn't bat an eye at the large Minotaur, well trained she waits but not with any impatience or demand.
His first time in a house of repute, Octo stands there like a statue. He tries to smile, but smiling makes him look angry and he drools a bit, so he stops doing it immediately.
He looks at Dornin and gives a slight nod towards the dwarf waiting at the end of the hall, wincing a bit as his horn his something above him, probably a light, but he doesn’t look up.
He thinks about dropping into a rage, summoning his anger and the strength of his ancestors so he can stop thinking about what to do, but instead, closes his eyes and takes a breath. Things slow in his mind, a little. He gives Kallith a small nudge, hoping she’ll move as he has no idea what to do.
The druid isn't used to the bureaucratic processes that commercial focused areas like these employed, so she is unsure about what to do as well, shooing sidewise glances at her companions.
She tries to see if there are any indications of where Nathair might have slithered off to [survival 16].
[Player: I'm not opposed to having Kallith stepping forward to talk to the dwarf, but since this is probably a matter of deception, maybe Dornin can take this one? Kallith isn't opposed to trickery, but that's not the same as being good at it 😁]
Dornin, in his disguise, stands with a regal posture, almost as if he is better than all around him. He strides to the dwarves woman and stands beside her, however, not facing her but glaring down the hall. He speaks to in a tone of authority, much like when he first came across the assassin hours ago.
“I trust my simple asking of the den being unoccupied has been met. I would hate to see what would happen if that were not the case. Anyways, take me there and bring my company some wine. A good bottle, not the urine you give to the lesser. Oh and one more thing, inform Nathair to be expecting me, where shall I find her?”
Dornin’s stands proud of himself, even though he loathes the person he impersonates, he is doing a fabulous job of being him. (Deception:24)
Octo follows Dornin down the hall to the smiling dwarf. Many things start flooding into his head, most of them directed to ‘look menacing, you’re the Assassin’s bodyguard’, but he doubts that that is the right climate for that behavoir.
As he thinks about other ways to help, he stops trying when he hears the voice…
Dornin’s voice, mimicking the assassin, sends a shiver down his back. Octo just stands there, stone face, waiting for the dwarves response.
‘I didn’t know what to do, but he did, this is good’ Octo thinks. ‘Don’t lose your shit, relax, wait, and follow the assassin, I mean Dornin.”
The Dwarven lass watches as you move down the hall towards her. A small smile on her face, it quickly slides away as Assassin Dornin addresses her. She seems taken back by the aggressiveness of his stance and tone but barely falters. "The room is free, straight ahead as always. Did you have a preference for your libation sir, a deep red appropriate for the Sanguine room?" She asks coyly.
"Nathair asked not to be disturbed but I am sure she would make an exception, she is in her office, shall I announce you?"
Looking down the hall it curls along the wall then turns left at the end. It appears to wind around the outside of the building. A half dozen closed doors can be seen, evenly spaced along its length. Each door has a symbol on it, the two closest are a pair of clasped hands, the other a single feather. Its not clear from this angle and distance what the other symbols are but you can see the side of the embossing on the door.