Threnody idly works at her teeth with a slender toothpick as the group stroll to the bath-house. She examines it for anything out of the ordinary - her crimson eyes hawkishly roving over the stucco facade. The tiefling tracks movement at the painted doors to the courtyard, noting anyone loitering around or looking shifty. 

If the doors are locked, she approaches Bees while giving him a little cover as he works the lock on the busy street. Regardless of whether their path forward is obstructed, she adds the following. 

"We'll need a consistent story if we get questioned in there. I imagine most of the clientele are ordinary folk, so a bunch of armoured types stomping around while they're busy soaping up their unmentionables might draw attention." She says under her breath, her toothpick lolling in one corner of her mouth as she sizes up the place. 

"If anyone asks, we're a private security company getting in some last minute R&R before we escort a noble out of the city. And if we bump into anyone who seems shady enough to be a cultist of the Dead Three? Well, they might be more open to us if they think we've got a nasty streak. Perhaps we'll 'accidentally' let it slip that we're toying with the idea of seeing the noble to an unfortunate end before unburdening them of their possessions. Sound fair?"

Insight: 5
Perception: 7

Samosh follows the group, he isn't worried about encountering trouble in the street. 

The bath house is a legitimate cover for shady activity, so it shouldn't be too hard to stroll in....unless they're not open.

If the lock needs picking he will Help (Action) whoever is doing the picking.

Once they are inside he will take a look around

Perception check 19

     Kaster does what Kaster does over the evening and night.  Mostly meaning he hangs out with Ralph, he does some reading and reflecting upon his reading as well as some praying to the gods.  He does take some time to write in his journal about the events of the day but mostly he sleeps.  Ralph takes up most of the bed but Kaster doesn't complain, the bed was made with the tall folk in mind anyway - there is plenty for him and his dog.

     Come the morning Kaster doesn't feel much different than any other day.  Relieved the stress and chaos of yesterday is over, sure, but otherwise just well rested and invigorated.  Perhaps a bit more energetic than usual but nothing to really write home about.  Any extra vim he may have, however, disappears once he remembers they are going to inspect the bathhouse today.  For the millionth time he silents asks himself "Why me?"

     Breakfast is nice enough.  He is not used to this much company but he doesn't have to cook so he doesn't mind at all, at all.  And then the travel to the bathhouse is not nearly as oppressive as he may have feared - Of course Ralph was doing the walking, Kaster was able to just enjoy the ride.

     "Do we really need a cover story?" he inquires.  "Can't we just want to relax and get clean?"  He doesn't really trouble himself with it though, he figures he can allow the others to answer any questions that may arise.

     "And... are we all going in?" he adds.  "At the same time?  I just wonder cause if we're all busy soaking or whatever when trouble starts...  Hopefully there is no trouble.  Gods about us, I hope this is all a mistake and we can all just be done with this nonsense...  But I am seldom that lucky."

     If the door is locked and Bees is going to try to get us inside anyway, Kaster reluctantly casts Guidance upon them and wishes them luck...

"The cover story is only if we get questioned - by strangers, staff or possible cultists." Threnody pulls the toothpick out of her mouth and uses it to gesture towards the doors painted with the bawdy image of the prancing nymphs. "We're not going in there to have a soak. We can claim that's what we're here for, but at some point we're going to have to try and head to the secret door Tarina mentioned to gain access to the lair of these followers of the Dead Three. That may mean evading staff or anyone else snooping around."

She reaches into a pouch and presses her toothpick to the point marked on the map. "Trouble is highly likely, so bare bottoms or towels just won't do. We'll need to have our weapons, be wearing our armour, and have our full contingent on our side... Unless you think we can tackle murderous cultists stark naked, splashing soap bubbles at them?"

She quirks her lips into a smile to take the edge off her words. "I understand that you're nervous, Kaster. But the truth is that we've got sterner battles ahead. There'll be blood, sweat and tears on this path we're on. If you really want to leave, I won't think any less of you if you decide to up and Wendyl it. But maybe... just maybe... as a man of the gods, perhaps this is where your patron wants you to be. Standing against the followers of wicked deities who are happy to unleash harm on the innocent. Then again, I could just be making asinine assumptions. Again." She shrugs. "Who is it that you actually worship?"

There is an l-shaped courtyard before the entrance to the bathhouse, featuring a trimmed lawn and nicely manicured shrubbery. The yard is decorated with white marble benches and stone fountains, each in the form of a smiling nymph tipping a jug that spills water into a circular stone basin.

Bees passes through the courtyard and to the front doors. They aren't locked. No one responds to his call, but he can hear the sound of flowing water and soft voices on the other side.

Liatris looks around the courtyard, but she doesn't see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. There are no hidden guards or sign of any wards. Threnody doesn't see anything strange either. From the outside, the bathhouse appears totally normal.

Upon entering, you notice that the doors open into the bathhouse proper. The walls of this twenty-foot-high pillared chamber are adorned with frescoes of bathing royalty. Natural light streams through stained-glass windows, creating colorful patterns on the tiles of polished blue marble that cover the floor. Three shallow, sunken pools contain scintillating perfume-scented water. White marble benches bearing stacks of dry towels are situated near the pools, each of which comes equipped with a pair of brass faucets.

The bathhouse is relatively empty. A pair of human women lounge together in one of the sunken pools, talking quietly together. They look up as the party enters and their expressions turn somewhat suspicious at seeing a group of well-armed strangers entering the bathhouse.

Quote from Monsterball >>

She quirks her lips into a smile to take the edge off her words. "I understand that you're nervous, Kaster. But the truth is that we've got sterner battles ahead. There'll be blood, sweat and tears on this path we're on. If you really want to leave, I won't think any less of you if you decide to up and Wendyl it. But maybe... just maybe... as a man of the gods, perhaps this is where your patron wants you to be. Standing against the followers of wicked deities who are happy to unleash harm on the innocent. Then again, I could just be making asinine assumptions. Again." She shrugs. "Who is it that you actually worship?"

 
     "Captain Zodge didn't seem quite as benevolent in regards to my participation as you do," Kaster points out.  "And I do worry what will become of Wendyl..."

     "As for who it is that I worship - Why the gods, of course.  I am a representative of the Refined Unified Religious Order ((or Ru-Ro!)) and as such I owe all the gods a measure of reverence and devotion.  We of the order respect all the divine beings and do not deign to take it upon ourselves to rank them in order of power or importance.  In fact there are many in our ranks who believe that all the gods that people worship are really just aspects of a single deity, just a small faction of the unknowable greatness of the one true supreme being..."

     Kaster will continue proselytizing if allowed to.  He even has tracts and pamphlets in his backpack somewhere which he'll be happy to dig out and distribute.  However converting the non-believers is not his primary mission and he instead believes in allowing each to worship in their own way.  It is his goal, and that of the Refined Unified Religious Order to meet each worshiper where they are and to be ready to accept them and guide them into the order if they so choose but to never force the issue...  So once Threnody (or anyone else) signals they are tired of hearing about Ru-Ro or gods in general, Kaster humbly and quickly shuts up and focuses on the issue at hand.

     One such issue is Ralph.  Kaster dismounts and gives Ralph some quick pets and scratches to thank him for the ride.  "I don't think they'd be allowing you inside, my friend.  I'm sorry but I think I am going to have to leave you out here once more."  Kaster brings Ralph over close to one of the fountains where the mastiff will be able to get a drink if they so choose, or perhaps some shade.  Kaster doesn't tie the hound up but they do use a bit of rope to make it look like Ralph is.  In reality the rope is just kind of stick into his collar and he could easily pull free if need be.

     "Stay here and be a good boy, eh?" Kaster instructs.  "I do hope we shan't be long..."

Bees listens as the group discusses the cover story. He can't help but snicker and smile as Threnody talks about taking on the murderous cultists stark naked. His gaze lingers on her female form for a second longer than intended as he pictures her description. He then realizes he's staring with a ridiculous smile and quickly clears his throat, shakes his head, and returns to the task at hand. 

As he walks into the bathhouse, he sees the two women relaxing and says to them, "Oh hello there. You must not have heard me at the door. We're here to... relax before we go on our next... mission." The gruff halfling stumbles through the lie, clearly not very good at talking. He falls silent as embarrassment sets in. He looks to the rest of the group to save him from this awkward moment. 

Once the focus is no longer on the halfling, Bees pulls his hood up and begins to make his way down the hall to where they were told they could find the entrance to the dungeon.

Deception: 4

Stealth: 22

"Ha! If you're wanting to talk up the ladies you have to be smoother than that!" Samosh nods and gives the women a small wave "Sorry girls, we'll stay out of your way. My friend is intimidated by beauty."

He follows the directions to the hidden path trying to look like he knows where he's going. 

Liatris hadn't refuted Therondy's suggestion. If anything, she tacitly approved of it in a subtle but affirmative nod. There were plenty of flaws to the suggestion of course, but for once Liatris refrained from delaying things, least an eventual visitor to the bathhouse saw the group loitering and chose to make a mess of things. As for Kester, there was at least a glimmer of interest in Liatris' eyes as he prattled on about his beliefs and religious order. Beliefs other some might consider possessed of a... slightly heretical view point about the gods, if not being of a radical orientation.

Nevertheless, for all of her apparent curiosity, seeing at least one other party member go for the door brought back focus on the mission. So, Liatris held a finger to her lips in the universal signal to 'quiet' before promptly following the rest inside. Once inside she hanged back and stayed quiet, entrusting the others to at least try to assuage the patrons, but remaining subtly poised herself to act violently if the need called for it...

The two women exchange a glance before erupting into giggles, which they try to stifle. 

"If you're here to relax, you're a bit overdressed," says the first woman, smiling at Bees. Her initial skepticism seems to have been replaced by amusement. 

"Oh, you're a charmer I see," the other woman replies to Samosh, smirking. "If you and your friends really want to relax, be sure to get a massage. Jabaz and Qurmilah's hands are blessed by the gods, truly."

Meanwhile, Bees heads toward the northernmost door, which is the direction the secret door was marked in Tarina's map. There's another door that leads to the south. As Bees approaches the door, he hears someone moving around and humming quietly to themselves on the other side. They don't seem to be aware of his presence. 

Bees tries the door, if unlocked, Bees peaks inside before entering. Picks the lock if needed.

(SoH: 23)

     Nervous and unsure of what to do, Kaster sticks to the back and mostly watches behind the group, sure that at any moment someone was going to leap out and attack know that they didn't belong...

As Kaster explains his heterodox beliefs to Threnody, a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. But the punchline never arrives, and her amusement is whittled into  bemusement, before crumbling into questions about his sanity. Who in their right mind actually believed the gods were fractions of a single being? Where was the evidence for his outlandish claims? It was preposterous - justice and corruption, light and shadow, war and peace were all rival forces in a struggle as old as time, not fragments of a singular entity. The gods had walked the face of Toril, had literally waged wars with another. What Kaster was speaking was a heresy as incoherent as any she'd ever heard of. Clearly the man was a little moon-addled.

The paladin considers gently setting him right, but is soon distracted by Bees' lingering gaze. She returns his stares with a bewildered laugh, a touch of rose blooming in her cheeks. "You are very, very strange - do you know that?" She grins and shakes her head at Bees, following Samosh through the doors of the establishment. Threnody initially heeds Liatris' suggestion to keep conversation to a minimum, whilst also admiring their surroundings. The alluring scents, the marbled floors and steaming baths were inviting - so appealing one might almost lose sight of the cult hideout allegedly lurking beneath their feet. 

"Jahbaz and Qurmilah. Noted, thank you, ladies. Hopefully not already occupied." Threnody says pleasantly, before turning to regard the relatively empty space. "Is the bath-house always this quiet at this hour of day?"

Liatris began to relax, if only ever slightly, in seeing the women appear mollified by Samosh's assurances. But while she would further nod in thanks to the two bath goers, the artificer left engaging in further pleasantries to Therondy, and instead went off to join Samosh and Bees side at presumably one of the masseuses' doors. An offhanded comment about needing to "make arrangements" finds its way past her lips in transit like some passing excuse. "Report. Are they in right now?" She whispers to the pair. "If not, inside quick, otherwise we should just enter as prospective customers, no? No delaying out here necessary."

One of the women nods at Threnody's question. "It's quieter in the mornings. Most folk are working this time of day, but it picks up in the afternoons."

The other woman smiles. "We are ladies of leisure you could say so we always come in the morning. We like having the bathhouse mostly to ourselves. It's peaceful."

Meanwhile, Bees cracks open the door (it's unlocked) slowly and takes a peek inside. The room features a large table with a head pillow and towels, presumably a massage table. There's a cabinet full of what looks like essential oils in one corner. There are large vials of perfumes underneath the massage table. Natural light enters through a stained-glass window set into the north wall. A tall human woman stands with her back to the door. She's folding towels and humming to herself quietly. So far she hasn't noticed the door opening a crack. 

Bees sees the worker humming, folding towels with her back to the door. He decides to walk in, "Hello. We've received reports of an insect infestation in the walls of this establishment. I'm sorry but we need you to leave this room as we investigate. I'll let you know when it's safe to return." He brushes past the woman and begins inspecting the walls, looking for the secret door drawn on the map Tarina provided. He avoids eye contact with the woman as he investigates, hoping someone behind him will do a better job talking to her.

Deception: 4

Investigation: 21

"I shan't disturb you any further then. Thank you, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your morning." Threnody returns the smile cordially, dipping her horned head slightly in gratitude. She makes her way over the polished blue marble floors, swiping up a couple of towels she thinks might come in handy in the event that the party might be required to quietly restrain someone.

In short order, she arrives at the door to the massage room to stand beside Liatris, catching a few stray words of Bees' lie. She peeks her head inside, ignoring the masseuse entirely, bearing the perfunctory air of an underpaid pest control technician. "As you suspected, sir. Roaches under the towels, and I think I spotted some mould building around the pools..." She tuts and shakes her head, before joining Bees inside the room. 

Threnody turns to run her hands over the walls, muttering an incantation under her breath. "Wait... do you hear that?" She exclaims suddenly and waves Liatris, Samosh and Kaster to come and listen. The tiefling stands next to the tall woman and cups a hand around her ear, pressing it to the nearest wall. The sound is faint at first, but begins to swell - the unmistakable sound of countless tiny legs skittering behind one of the frescoes, like a chittering tide of creepy-crawlies building just out of sight. "Th-there must be millions of them!"

Action: Thaumaturgy
Deception: 24

The woman turns and frowns at Bees. "We weren't expecting an inspection today," she says skeptically. "Who are you?"

While Bees continues to examine the walls, Threnody enters and plays the part of a pest control inspector. As soon as she mentions roaches, the human masseuse blanches. 

"Roaches? I hate roaches!" she exclaims, glancing around nervously. She drops the towel she'd been folding as if it's contaminated. 

Threnody approaches the wall, and suddenly the sound of many creeping, crawling legs comes from behind the wall. The woman shrieks and runs out of the room, screaming, "No, keep them away! Keep them away from me!"

Bees spots an indentation in the northern wall, next to the window. As soon as he presses it, the wall swings inward, revealing a secret door and a short passageway that leads to a staircase with smooth stone steps going down about twenty feet. As soon as the secret door swings open, Bees catches a foul, sewer-like stench emanating from below. Two sputtering torches in wall sconces illuminate the staircase, but the bottom of the staircase is shrouded in darkness. 

     "Umm, aren't they going to go alert whoever is in charge?" Kaster asks as the workers run screaming and the secret door is discovered.  "And don't they likely know about the door?  And will come up behind us?  Or send others up behind us?"  Kaster doesn't like the idea of angry cultists behind him and the unknown in front.  Not at all, at all.  Truth be told, neither prospect sounds good individually even.

     "Maybe we should have inquired if anyone normally requests this room.  Tried to get an idea of how busy this room is, how many customers us it."  Even as he says it he knows it is too late for that kind of subtlety.  With a much unnoticed shrug he follows the others inside.

"Whoo, are getting that smell? Definitely an infestation." Samosh takes up the rear and closes the door behind the party.

On the way down he removes the torches and hands them to Kaster and Threnody. He then greases the top few steps of the stairway.

"Hopefully if anybody follows us they'll make a clatter," he smiles.