You stumble upon about three dwarves covered in flour and they appear to be working furiously and frantically in what looks like a large kitchen - making apple pies. They dont see you, completely distracted by baking and nearly tripping over themselves as they pack the pies that are done into boxes.

Not to mention it goes without saying how amazing it smells in this room.

Zephyr had sat silently in the carriage with the other girls, indulging himself in the scent the burning herbs emitted. It was definitely unique, something he hadn’t smelt before, and even just the smell sent a wave of calmness throughout his body.

He listened to Strife speak, then blinked in confusion when she crawled herself onto his lap. He kept his hands promptly on his sides and refrained from touching her. When he had been presented with the pipe, he took a moment to consider the consequences; what if Mercy and Daewen needed them? ... Screw it.

He leaned forward, just enough to take a hit from the pipe.

Highness roll for funsies: 4

That did nothing. 

Zephyr frowned. “Did I do that right?”

Strife giggled at Barry's innocence, certain that the naughty notion he had called to her mind was entirely inadvertent. It would be so easy...

Playing with locks of his hair, she said, "Well, I think my answer must hinge upon yours. Carrhae has lovely things to say about my eyes. Perhaps she merely seeks to flatter me, mindful of her debt. What do you see, Barry? Do you have any comment on the nature of my treasure? Or what of Carrhae? My very first glance at her was enough to convince me she is enormously wealthy, beyond the measure of precious metals or glittering bits of stone. Do you agree? Your reply will tell me whether you have any knack for the use of the pipe."

With a laugh, Strife crossed to the opposite side to snuggle next to Trini, and wrapped Trini's arm about her own neck. "And here's my secret muse, to whom you should be very grateful, for she may shield you from Strife's whimsical folly. We speak of treasure, but to behold Trini dance is to experience the divine transmuted into movement, her steps, leaps, and twirls describing the most priceless of riches."

Daewen will of course attempt to grab a couple pies, and then slowly step out of the room.

Sleight of Hands: 5

Wisdom ST to see if Carrhae is too distracted to remember that she has a job to be doing:13

Somewhere, almost completely lost in a haze of euphoria and possibly lust, Carrhae remembered that she had other things to attend to instead of this revelry and reluctantly began to tear herself away from the carriage. "I really must be getting back out. Not that I don't enjoy your treasures Strife, but I almost forgot about our dear friends who are counting on us to be there should anything happen to them inside the monastery. Perhaps we can imbibe more some other time" She exits the carriage, but not before trying to sneak one last look at Strife as the more primal parts of Carrhae's mind raged at her for abandoning pleasure for duty. You heard Barry. You don't have a lover, but you could. All you had to do was sit there and take what was in front of you. It said.

Stealth to not get caught peeking:6  

Carrhae's eyes lingered for a second too long, letting the bard know that she was trying to soak in one last bit of her beauty before returning to the mission.

Zephyr raised an eyebrow at Strife. How many questions will he have to answer today? "I see no issue with you hoarding this to yourself, if it is as expensive as you say." He takes a second to look at Carrhae. "And... I suppose to do agree with you in regards to Carrhae; she is indeed quite a beauty, along with the rest of you, of course." It didn't mean too much to him if she allowed him to try again, he just hoped his answers would suffice. Maybe it's the smoke hindering him? What was she saying?

He then looks to Trini with a small smile. "We are very much grateful to her, in more ways than one. I hope that one day she will grant us the chance to see her dance."

Mercy’s eyes widened as the glow from the ovens made Daewen visible, small hands reaching out to grab a pie. She darted forward and pulled the fool down a dark stairwell she’d spied.

Stealth: 17

Panting a bit from the exertion of dragging the little darkling away from danger, she hissed softly in her ear. “Ovens mean fire. Fire makes light. Light makes you visible. Now hurry up before they figure out what they just saw.” She pushed her friend deeper into the shadows of the stairs, Helping her regain her Stealth.

Daewen's acoustic stealth: 11

Since Daewen was Helped by Mercy, here’s her second stealth roll: 12

So, her resultant acoustic stealth roll was 16!

"Barry, you are a refined gentleman, and your dignified words allow me to say unequivocally that you're doing it all wrong!" As Strife's giggles faded, Carrhae made her apologies and exited the carriage. Strife watched the paladin closely, fearful she had said something offensive that drove Carrhae off, but when their eyes met for the last time, she knew that was not the case.

"Uh oh. Oh no! She's right! Carrhae is completely right. We have to be more... less. We have to be less distracted. Less distrifeted! Let's get out of here." Strife followed after Carrhae. She tamped the remnants of her pipe into her palm and smothered the smoldering contents in her fist.

Gazing back toward the dark stillness of the monastery, she felt the fear that had prompted her to seek the solace of her pipe seeping into her bones once again. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm very sorry."

What t- You thought you saw a bakery room. You could have sworn to the Gods that's what it was. It was actually NOT a bakery as you entered the room.

This older part of the monastery has been fitted out as a laboratory, with work tables covered in alchemical apparatuses and shelves full of strange curios and dusty clay jars. The alchemical beakers and glass jugs are boiling furiously. The windows have been bricked up, and cobwebs hang thick in the ceiling corners. An ancient figure peruses a heavy tome that lies open on a small desk, making notes on sheets of parchment covered in arcane writing.

It slowly turns halfway to you all as Daewen reaches towards one of the books on the shelves, thinking it was pie. He doesn't look directly at you.

"I have already told you cultists no. Depart.” says Renwick the Lich. 

Carrhae gave Strife a friendly kiss on the head to calm her down. "Shhh. Don't worry about it. I can fix the three of us up like nothing ever happened. Of course, Trini might have to stay in the carriage, but we need someone to guard it anyway. I have no plans to speak of our combined moment of weakness to Mercy and Daewen, so the two of you don't need to worry about me leaving you to face her wrath." As Carrhae uses the divine power of Sune to purify the minds and bodies of her, Barry, and Strife, she leans in closer to Strife and whispers into her ear. "You know, I have treasures of my own to show you. Did I ever tell you that I have a birthmark on my lower back in the shape of the Chultan peninsula? Perhaps I might show it to you some day. But not tonight. Think of it as fasting to repent for this moment of weakness." Carrhae says with a smile, satisfied to have teased her companion as she returns to her vigil.

Insight: 22

For a moment, Mercy considers speaking to this...highly intelligent...corpse...? It doesn't seem too fond of the cultists...

 However, as the effects of the illusion dissipate, she realizes she's staring at a lich. A creature that could kill her in a moment if it became the least bit irritated. "Of course, sir. Our apologies...We shan't trouble you further." She slowly backed toward the door, never taking her eyes off the ancient being.

You're insightful decision proved to be the right one. Well done!  Where to?

Her wrath? It wasn't too difficult to extrapolate who Carrhae was referring to. Yes, Strife could well imagine Mercy would not look kindly upon the carriage interlude. Hopefully she would never find out; Strife feared that might require intense fence mending. However, Strife hated having to maintain further secrets from the very people she thought of as family, and regarded her preexisting load as more than a sufficient burden.

With the effects of the drug swept away, and her ordinary social inhibition restored, hearing Carrhae speak of a discreet birthmark caused Strife to blush. Oh, wow, would she still say that if she knew? Upon that I must chew. "I am honored and flattered too, yet I have much to repent, perhaps too much to see us through."

As soon as she was back outside the laboratory, Mercy closed the door softly and sighed in relief. That had been far too close for comfort. She looked around, reasoning that the cultists would most likely not wish to disturb a temperamental lich any more often than necessary. If Bruldenthar was being held here, it was in another part of the building. Pressing herself to the Northern wall, she moved forward to the end of the wall and glanced around the corner.

Stealth: 12

Perception: 12

Daewen following, all while mentally thanking Mercy for seeing through that lich’s illusion.  A pie!  She almost convicted this expedition to the scrap heap of time...for a pie!  Realizing she hasn’t eaten a square meal in quite a while, she’d have to correct that as soon as she got out of here.

Nearing the corner, using her superior umbral sight, can she see or hear anything in any direction?

Perception: 12

Daewen will inch along the hallway and quietly walk up to the following door:

Kneeling down, she’ll get close to the door and attempt to listen to see if the can hear anything on the other side (Perception: 10)

You touch the knob ever so slightly. It's locked. It appears to be a private quarters of some type. On the door, it says ABBESS. You cannot hear anything on the other side.