The group makes its way across the estate grounds, Lisette a little apart from the rest of the group. Their path to the perimeter is dark, but even without Fluss's help, Wendell and Skoth can see their way. Balasar, confident that he knows the way by memory, fails to pay attention to the ground and comes close to stumbling over some gardening equipment by one of the hedges. A last minute grab from Gong saves the dragonborn from a loud and messy fall.
The group all sees the guard at the same time, staring out into the night towards the estate's entrance. As he seems to be carrying no light source, the man almost seems to appear all of a sudden from nowhere. Skoth, surprised to see a figure emerging from the gloom, begins to let out a cry of alarm. Wendell, equally surprised, stumbles back into him and accidentally crushes Fluss to the druid's face. muffling the sound. The guard's posture seems relaxed, but alert. From where Balasar, Gong, Skoth, and Wendell are (almost directly behind him), the man seems to have his arms crossed in front of him. Thanks to good fortune and the lucky use of an otter, the party remains undetected. Lisette takes the opportunity to circle around and, once she has determined that her allies will not be in the guard's line of sight, hails him. The man starts and turns to face her, hand going to his weapon before he recognizes her voice.
"Miss Lisette!" the guard cries, "What are you doing out here alone?! Lord Delmirev's gonna be pissed if he hears you of all folk were wandering around without an escort."
With a (hopefully) disarming smile, Lisette replies, "Oh, but I do not wish anyone of the household to be in trouble! I merely take my nightly constitutional as I do most nights and thought that, perhaps, I - oh, what is the phrase? I kill two birds with one stone, no? And it is for this reason that I call out and speak with you. With matters such as they are - a murderer yet to be caught - everyone is on edge. It occurs to me that Lord Delmirev would not wish his house guards to be so strained as to make mistakes. And so, upon seeing you here, I am remembering that I wished to speak with you and your fellow guards to ask if you are well? I notice your hand seemed to be having small spasms just a moment ago - a sure sign of stress! I am certain I could brew a simple draught that would-"
Lisette will continue in this manner, speaking a little slowly and possibly struggling to recall various phrases in common for as long as seems necessary to keep Markus distracted, though she tries to be careful to stick to the truth as closely as possible and genuinely assess his wellbeing if he is at all cooperative with such an endeavor.
[OOG: Lisette is quite certain that his quick, precise sequence of gestures were NOT stress-related]
With a (hopefully) disarming smile, Lisette replies, "Oh, but I do not wish anyone of the household to be in trouble! I merely take my nightly constitutional as I do most nights and thought that, perhaps, I - oh, what is the phrase? I kill two birds with one stone, no? And it is for this reason that I call out and speak with you. With matters such as they are - a murderer yet to be caught - everyone is on edge. It occurs to me that Lord Delmirev would not wish his house guards to be so strained as to make mistakes. And so, upon seeing you here, I am remembering that I wished to speak with you and your fellow guards to ask if you are well? I notice your hand seemed to be having small spasms just a moment ago - a sure sign of stress! I am certain I could brew a simple draught that would-"
Lisette will continue in this manner, speaking a little slowly and possibly struggling to recall various phrases in common for as long as seems necessary to keep Markus distracted, though she tries to be careful to stick to the truth as closely as possible and genuinely assess his wellbeing if he is at all cooperative with such an endeavor.
[OOG: Lisette is quite certain that his quick, precise sequence of gestures were NOT stress-related]
Deception roll, por favor.
In the mean time, Wendell casts his spell and lifts off.
Markus shakes his head and starts walking towards Lisette as she talks (and away from the now airborne wizard, who launches over the hedge and out of sight). "Things HAVE been tense around here, that's for certain... but don't you worry about us, Miss. We're up to the challenge, spasms or no." Grinning, he pounds his chest, and his fingers move again. "But really, you shouldn't be out here on your own... and it's not like you to break rules."
With a slightly smaller smile, Lisette nods, "Perhaps you are right. I let my concerns outweigh my good judgement. I have simply felt so very useless to the family since the murder and I wished to... what are words? Ah, yes - take action. I wished to take action to help. But, as I said, I do not wish anyone to be in trouble. I shall return to my quarters before anyone else knows I was here. And, to alleviate your mind as to matters of safety..." Lisette casts Mage Armor on herself. "This spell should help keep me safe."
With a slightly smaller smile, Lisette nods, "Perhaps you are right. I let my concerns outweigh my good judgement. I have simply felt so very useless to the family since the murder and I wished to... what are words? Ah, yes - take action. I wished to take action to help. But, as I said, I do not wish anyone to be in trouble. I shall return to my quarters before anyone else knows I was here. And, to alleviate your mind as to matters of safety..." Lisette casts Mage Armor on herself. "This spell should help keep me safe."
Unfortunately, the same turn that keeps the guard from spotting Wendell's takeoff obscures Balasar's view of his hands. What Balasar DOES see is the flare of magic around Lisette as her Mage Armor activates, followed by a much brighter flare a second later as a crossbow bolt slams into her chest. Lisette's spell weaves around the projectile, then deflects it into the ground with a dull thud.
How far away is the guard from Balasar? And am I correct in my understanding that the guard currently has his back to Balasar?
Also, was Balasar able to hear the conversation between Lisette and the guard, or was he too far away?
Also, from Balasar’s perspective, does it look like the guard fired the crossbow bolt, or does the bolt appear to have come from somewhere else?
The guard is currently about 15 feet from you, and the guard's back is currently to Balasar and everyone who is not Lisette. The dragonborn was able to hear what was said by both parties, due to Lisette's orientation and the guard's volume. From his perspective, the bolt appears to have come from somewhere else, in the direction of the hedge that the guard was facing.
Lisette Perception: 13
Skoth Stealth: 23
Skoth Perception: 8
The group makes its way across the estate grounds, Lisette a little apart from the rest of the group. Their path to the perimeter is dark, but even without Fluss's help, Wendell and Skoth can see their way. Balasar, confident that he knows the way by memory, fails to pay attention to the ground and comes close to stumbling over some gardening equipment by one of the hedges. A last minute grab from Gong saves the dragonborn from a loud and messy fall.
The group all sees the guard at the same time, staring out into the night towards the estate's entrance. As he seems to be carrying no light source, the man almost seems to appear all of a sudden from nowhere. Skoth, surprised to see a figure emerging from the gloom, begins to let out a cry of alarm. Wendell, equally surprised, stumbles back into him and accidentally crushes Fluss to the druid's face. muffling the sound. The guard's posture seems relaxed, but alert. From where Balasar, Gong, Skoth, and Wendell are (almost directly behind him), the man seems to have his arms crossed in front of him. Thanks to good fortune and the lucky use of an otter, the party remains undetected. Lisette takes the opportunity to circle around and, once she has determined that her allies will not be in the guard's line of sight, hails him. The man starts and turns to face her, hand going to his weapon before he recognizes her voice.
"Miss Lisette!" the guard cries, "What are you doing out here alone?! Lord Delmirev's gonna be pissed if he hears you of all folk were wandering around without an escort."
With a (hopefully) disarming smile, Lisette replies, "Oh, but I do not wish anyone of the household to be in trouble! I merely take my nightly constitutional as I do most nights and thought that, perhaps, I - oh, what is the phrase? I kill two birds with one stone, no? And it is for this reason that I call out and speak with you. With matters such as they are - a murderer yet to be caught - everyone is on edge. It occurs to me that Lord Delmirev would not wish his house guards to be so strained as to make mistakes. And so, upon seeing you here, I am remembering that I wished to speak with you and your fellow guards to ask if you are well? I notice your hand seemed to be having small spasms just a moment ago - a sure sign of stress! I am certain I could brew a simple draught that would-"
Lisette will continue in this manner, speaking a little slowly and possibly struggling to recall various phrases in common for as long as seems necessary to keep Markus distracted, though she tries to be careful to stick to the truth as closely as possible and genuinely assess his wellbeing if he is at all cooperative with such an endeavor.
[OOG: Lisette is quite certain that his quick, precise sequence of gestures were NOT stress-related]
Deception roll, por favor.
In the mean time, Wendell casts his spell and lifts off.
Lisette Deception check: 10
14
Markus shakes his head and starts walking towards Lisette as she talks (and away from the now airborne wizard, who launches over the hedge and out of sight). "Things HAVE been tense around here, that's for certain... but don't you worry about us, Miss. We're up to the challenge, spasms or no." Grinning, he pounds his chest, and his fingers move again. "But really, you shouldn't be out here on your own... and it's not like you to break rules."
With a slightly smaller smile, Lisette nods, "Perhaps you are right. I let my concerns outweigh my good judgement. I have simply felt so very useless to the family since the murder and I wished to... what are words? Ah, yes - take action. I wished to take action to help. But, as I said, I do not wish anyone to be in trouble. I shall return to my quarters before anyone else knows I was here. And, to alleviate your mind as to matters of safety..." Lisette casts Mage Armor on herself. "This spell should help keep me safe."
15 , 5
Perception check to see if Balasar notices the guard's hand gestures: 19
Supplying a second roll, in case the DM rules that the check is at disadvantage: 6
Unfortunately, the same turn that keeps the guard from spotting Wendell's takeoff obscures Balasar's view of his hands. What Balasar DOES see is the flare of magic around Lisette as her Mage Armor activates, followed by a much brighter flare a second later as a crossbow bolt slams into her chest. Lisette's spell weaves around the projectile, then deflects it into the ground with a dull thud.
How far away is the guard from Balasar? And am I correct in my understanding that the guard currently has his back to Balasar?
Also, was Balasar able to hear the conversation between Lisette and the guard, or was he too far away?
Also, from Balasar’s perspective, does it look like the guard fired the crossbow bolt, or does the bolt appear to have come from somewhere else?
The guard is currently about 15 feet from you, and the guard's back is currently to Balasar and everyone who is not Lisette. The dragonborn was able to hear what was said by both parties, due to Lisette's orientation and the guard's volume. From his perspective, the bolt appears to have come from somewhere else, in the direction of the hedge that the guard was facing.
Perception check in the direction the bolt seems to have come from, in an attempt to further discern who or what fired it: 19
Initiative: 10
Lisette Initiative: 2
Gong's Initiative: 24
Perception check for Gong (if allowed): 23