(While we're waiting for the drama to unfold, Kinnik the nun plunks out a doleful church hymn on his lyre)

Performance: 14

(Man, that nunnery could use a music coach. Fantasy Sister Act!) 

(This time, maybe? please?)

Deception check (second roll for advantage): 23

(Oh that's much better! <wipes sweat from brow> heh)

Kinnik ultimately just stops playing the lyre. It feels as though he's been sitting here on this sidewalk for, like, three days. Sure, he's gained a level and collected roughly five hundred gold pieces from passers-by, but still...

"Hmm," the warforged looks from Shroud to Copper to Vasha and back. They stroke their chin and it feels like literal days pass. Did he buy the story? Did you reveal too much of your hand? Will time ever move forward??? "Very well."

The warforged steps aside. They let you in and direct you to a room.

"Oh, welcome?" says the man behind an impressive oak desk. You seem to be in an office much like the one at MU. There is one other person in the room. A middle-aged man in fine clothes sits in an armchair near a corner. 

The man behind the desk is an old human man. He is slim with heavy receding in his gray hair. He looks small behind the giant desk but he has a sharpness to his eyes that radiates authority. 

"Sir, these men stipulate they were present during the attack near your office. It would appear they know something about it and would like to speak with you on the matter. Should you need me..." The warforged looks over you all one more time, "I will be right outside the door."

"Er, yes," the old man nods. He gestures for you all to have a seat while the warforged walks out of the room. "My name is Garthen Daela."

(Given that his friends have revealed they were (at least) witnesses to the ransacking of Daela's office, Kinnik will stay outside to watch for cops. Confirmed a signal warning with Cap ahead of time in case the heat gets hot.)

Jack takes a seat.

"Thank you Professor, we are grateful that you would talk with us."

Indicating his associates, Jack continues.

"My name is Jack Steeljaw. My associates and I, were at your office last night. You see, we have been contracted to find and detain one, Petrov Klekovic, for our anonymous benefactor."

Jack again holds up the contract, with a tieflings face sketch on it.

"We were following some known associates of our target, when they broke into your office. We confronted them, and they attacked us."

"As none of them survived, so that we could question them, we are hunting down any leads we can, to try and get back on our quarries trail."

"During the fight, one of them shouted at us, to give them the 'map to the schema'."

"I believe they had mistaken us for someone else, but as we are currently without options, we are here to ask you if you have any information on this 'schema' place."

"Do you know where these criminals were trying to go? Is there anything you can tell us, that might help us find this 'schema' place?"

Deception check: 14

Copper follows inside, standing towards the back of his group. As Jack begins to talk to Daela, Copper's eyes cloud over with a smoky greenish hue, casting Detect Magic. he glances around the room, and at Daela's visitor, just taking note of any magic he notices.

Vasha will wander across a few feet just behind Shroud/Jack, idly taking in the room while juggling her coin over her fingers, "Yes, a most distressing turn of events. There we were, wanting to simply ask a few questions, when we were assaulted by a group of villainous rogues."

(Perception for any possible valuables: portable trinkets, notebooks, a piece of jewlry left out, etc. 10)

Copper sees a magical aura around several objects in the room, including some papers. These auras seem to bleed together, as it appears the professor owns many enchanted things, but you do see that Haras Kant has two magicked items on him. His ring, which has a transmutation enchantment, and something in his pocket has a divination enchantment. The bookcase behind the professor has several books that seem to have enchantments of various types. The professor has a few magical items on his person. Copper sees the outline of spectacles in his front pocket that give off an aura of enchantment. The next notable feature is a circular object in his pocket with what you are sure is a chain. This thing radiates divination magic incredibly strongly. You see the magic swirl around in the air outside his pocket.

Copper and Vasha both notice what seems to be some sort of magical trinket on the professor's desk. It is a small puzzle box crafted in glass. Inside, you spot a golden coin, but it's hard to make out what coinage it is. Its school of magic is unknown.

"P-Petrov Klekovic?" Daela adjusts his glasses nervously, "they came asking about the schema? My word. That explains the ransacked nature of my office!"

"It would seem your life is in danger, my good friend. Maybe you should come stay with me a while," the other gentleman pipes up suddenly. He strokes a few fingers through his golden hair. The man stands up from his seated position and stands by Daela. He looks at you criminals, but seems to believe your words, "Maybe we can reach a mutual agreement? We haven't heard a word from our contracted hunters on the schema, and well, perhaps you can fetch your man for your client, and fetch us the schema. A double bounty for you, I think it sounds quite nice."

Jack looks a little confused, before seeming to understand.

"Oh, so the map to schema, was a map to an object, not a place?"

"So they are hunting an object then..."

Jack looks to be considering things for a moment. He looks up at the two gentlemen behind the desk.

"Yes I agree with your man here, your life could very well be in danger. Once it is discovered that the group that went to your office at the university failed, they are very likely to send more here to your home."

"I would agree you should go into hiding, but you may want to organise to have your home protected, your office was not in a good way when we confronted the group."

Jack looks around at the beautiful study.

"And of course we would be in your debt, if you would share any information that could allow us to continue our hunt for Klekovic. We would be happy to collect and deliver this schema for you, as a part of the deal."

"Sounds mutual all right! Best we set off quickly then, what information do you have on this item? Location, attributes, anything that might help us towards this common goal."

"O-Oh...? Yes, of course, if Mr. Kant thinks it would be best," Daela nods. He starts shuffling through the papers on his desk. As he does so, he speaks, "Let me offer you a bit of preface, hm? Sharn is much older than you'd think. Before modern brelanders lived here, there were goblins, and then sarlonans. Modern settlers closed all those areas off and continued building on top of them. The foundations of the city are old ruins and dungeons, with most of those inaccessible."

"Yes, and that schema we hope to find is located past even the Depths," this Mr. Kant chimes in.

(Roll History to know if you know who this Kant is. DC 12 reveals the spoiler.)

“You will have to skycoach down to Lower Tavick’s Landing, to Cogsgate Ward.” Haras Kant visibly reacts disgustedly with the notion of going so far down to the base of the city. Professor Daela continues, “From there, you can take a lift down to Blackbones ward, in the Upper Cogs, and find access to the sewers. It is the only way to reach this location
on the map. You are looking for an old abandoned House Cannith laboratory that was buried after the War of the Mark. Here, you will find a sealed door that opens to the sewers.”

Daela at this point pulls out a map and turns it toward you on his desk. 

(History check: 21)

Jack leans forward and examines the map.

Jack looks up at the Professor.

"Is there any chance we could make a copy this map?"

Jack looks back down at the map.

"I can see a few places we could set up an ambush, to try can capture our target, or his lackeys."

Jack considers the professor and his home for a moment, before tentatively asking,

"I hate to ask this, but we're a little down on our luck at the moment. We took this contract because we need the funds quickly, but it is turning out to be more costly then we had hoped."

"When we defended ourselves at your office last night, some of our number didn't fare so well, and we had to pay for medical assistance."

"Is there any chance we could get any material assistance from you. Again, I'm sorry to even be asking you this, but we are more likely to succeed in recovering your schema if we had a little more funds."

"I totally understand if you cant spare anything until we bring you back the item, but I thought I would ask, just in case."

Persuasion check: 22

Only half-interested in the expedition, Vasha can't stop staring at the shiny trinket on the professor's desk, "What's that?" She blurts as the others are mid conversation.

(I'm going to do something stupid) 

Kinnik had a long while to think about things last night. His brush with death, his disturbing dreams... and of course his own actions in separating himself from the party not once, but twice. His talents, such as they are, depend upon stealth and isolation- and yet in this business with Boss, being apart from his friends is an incredible risk. 

After he had recovered sufficiently from his wounds, he took to the darkened alleys near the Gilded Lotus. This was his adopted home, not so unlike the Mourning Lands where his earliest memories were formed. He knew these backways and side streets like he knew his own roost. Roughly half an hour from the Lotus, he came upon a shop of curiosities and antiquities. And there in the window was his target: three rainbow-hued opals.

 Kinnik set to work, hiding in the shadows and making no sound (Stealth: 14), he dashes to a small window, too narrow for a man to fit through and searches for any signs of warding or alarms, both magical and mundane (Investigate: 11). Assuming he can gain entry, he unfurls his theives tools and sets to work (ThT: 23). 

(Assuming he passes the rolls, Kinnik will stash the opals and make his speedy exit. If any step goes awry, he will attempt to parkour his way to the roofs to avoid the city watch and/or irate store owners- Acrobatics: 18)

(Edit: Hmmm, if the window is locked, then he'll have to find another way in. What will he find, Ru?)

(Edit #2: Ru tells me an item such as this would cost THOUSANDS of GP- Probably for the best that he was foiled by the window. Kinnik takes a leisurely stroll home after staring longingly at the stones for a bit, considering what life must be like for honest folk. Nuns, for example: they seem like they've got it all figured out...)