Drazzim takes the one bed left, that is, the smaller one in the tanned walls room.
Shandra comes back a few minutes later, carrying a large tray of tea, milk, and baked goods as snacks. It all smells warm and inviting. She sets the tray up in the coffee-table in the room with coat-of-arms wallpaper and invites you all to enjoy afternoon tea (again, it is mid-afternoon at the moment). Rupert is sound asleep, so he won't be joining you for tea.
The group continues to discuss their next steps. (OOC: How long this takes in-game is up to you. If you want to discuss and spring into action, we can say that the talks lasted half an hour or so. If you want to take a long rest, we can say the talks lasted for 3 to 4 hours and then you went to sleep. If taking the sleep option, I'll need a religion check from each of you.)
Having missed out on soup earlier in the day, Utar is glad of the repast and thanks Shandra before tucking into a nice cup of tea and a biscuit; heartily dunking the biscuit into the tea before eating it.
"Sorry, Praxx but I don't think we have the time." Graxx says to Praxx. "We can't just sit here with our teeth in our head and let those merc's get the jump on us. We finish this meal and then make for Igan's quarters as Neya suggested."
Graxx grins, "Besides, I imagine the best time to spot a spirit would be at night. When we get back, I won't fight you for the small bed."
Graxx will take the bread and try his best to smile wishing he had meat. "Appreciate, the food!"
Over the next few minutes, the group enjoys a much needed snack and plans ahead. The first step in their plans is to investigate Igan's quarters, and they let Shandra know of such intentions. The house matron then gladly guides the party upstairs to the third floor once they are ready, and unlocks Igan's doors with her copy of the master key. "There, that should do it. Please don't take too long in there. I know you are doing this in order to help, but I am sure Master Igan wouldn't exactly appreciate strangers going through his belongings. Thank you for understanding." She then keeps the door open and stays put, sort of keeping an eye on your group and what you are doing while in Igan's suite.
The suite is not the master bedroom, but right next to it. A quick glance shows that the three room suite—comprised of a bedroom, a sitting area and a small office— offers a couple of balconies that overlook the courtyard below. The wall and floors are richly decorated with carpets, paintings and tapestries depicting various heroic scenes. Despite being very obviously cleaned recently and everything dusted within the last couple days, the area looks lived in and is definitively untidy. The bed is freshly made and a few piles of laundered clothes lay on the bench at its foot. A bookcase full of books and scrolls stands beside a large, comfortable sofa with two large books laying on it; open to various pages. A desk full of papers also looks recently used.
(NOTE: When rolling investigation or other checks in this room, please be specific about what you are looking into.)
Graxx will go to each of the paintings and tapestries admiring the heroic scenes. Graxx would like to know more about what is depicted and reach out to lightly touch these works of art. Graxx is both inspecting the heroic scenes but pushing on the tapestries to feel if there is anything such as a secret hole hidden behind them. For the painting he just lightly touches the frames to see if they seem loose like something is hidden behind them.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Reasoning that these are these are the books most likely to have last been read before Igan disappeared, Utar crosses the room to the open books, studying their contents and checking the titles.
Having gone through those books, he turns his attention to the ones on the bookshelf. Picking up the odd scroll or book, hoping one might give some insight to the workings of the lighthouse.
Praxx approaches the desk and begins rifling through the pages very gently and examining the desk itself. He whispers to himself “There has to be something....”
Graxx: The heroic scenes depicted by the painting and tapestries call to the large human, who approaches in admiration. The artwork depicts scenes of heroism and sacrifice. Among them a female knight in shining armor facing a red dragon in a burning village and a priest bathed in light keeping a group of undead at bay while his congregation barricades itself within his church. The scenes are a bit idyllic in that the side of good always appears to be winning. There might be a deeper significance to these specific scenes, but they are a bit beyond the barbarian's comprehension at the moment. As he lightly touches the pieces of art, the delicate silk of the tapestries and filigree of the painting frames rob him of his urgency to check for hidden compartments. The barbarian might just be on the verge of becoming an art enthusiast. (A religion check is needed to derive meaning from the art.)
Neya: It isn't until the comparatively smaller frame of the woman in the party approaches that the tapestries reveal their secret. Touching the walls near one of them causes one of the stones to be pushed inward, which in turn forces a section of wall behind one of the tapestries to swing open like a small hidden cupboard. You can hear a gasp coming from Shandra, who watches it with utmost attention. Inside, an almost entirely closed helm rests. The piece of headgear looks like it belongs on a full set of plate armor, including a piece of chain mail coming from within to protect the back portion of the wearer's neck. The sides of the helm are adorned by metal version of elven ears, although it is hard to tell whether those are functional or not for protection purposes. There are no eye slits on the helm. Instead, each eye socket is filled by a piece of eye-shaped, green-tinted glass, which might be quite obnoxious during combat. The only part of the head that does not look protected by this helm would be the mouth and chin of the wearer.
Utar: The cleric focuses first on the open books atop the sofa. The first is an ancient-looking book titled "Moonsea Cults" by Thaliossof Tyr. It is written completely in a strange language, although it has some hints of a more modern Common. The second is a more contemporaneous book, written in Common, titled "On Arcane Maladies and their Amelioration", and authored by Dunhowla Pickerright. The book is open on what amounts to a table of contents, but the rest of the tome discusses potential curses and how to counteract them. (An arcana check is needed to evaluate how proper these might be.) The half-orc then approaches the bookcase. Unlike the sofa, this piece of furniture does not pre-select which books or scrolls could be of interest. The first tome he pulls offers a dissertation on the arcane properties of wheatgerm, the second offers a discussion on the value of various types of soil as offering to the divine, and the third is a scroll with three different but short children's tales. The cleric finds himself a bit overwhelmed by the shear number of potentially useless knowledge for the task at hand, but still suspects something of use could be found.
Praxx: The papers on the desk have sketches, random musings and observations, and rather shoddy attempts at poetry. The sketches depict mostly the keep and its people. The desk has three drawers, each secured with a simple lock. Two of these locks were left open, the third one is still locked. A potential key to these locks does not seem to be on the desk itself, and Shandra offers a legitimate sounding "I don't know" when asked about this third padlock. Inside these opened drawers, the bard finds more junk, mostly nothing special, except for a sketch of what appears to be a shrine of sorts. (A religion check is needed to identify details from the shrine.)
Drazzim: The dwarf leaves the investigating to the rest of the party and turns to face the door, half-expecting the mercenaries to show up at any point.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Utar continues to browse over the scroll with the children's tales scrawled on them, preferring them to the treatise on wheatgerm or soil. As he reads, he brushes some crumbs from his tabbard.
Thinking back on the books he looked over, and letting his mind wander...
Neya tries to remember any mentions of such an unique looking helm, but fails to recall anything specific. She is certain the item is magical and concludes she might need to spend some focused time studying the item before being certain of its capabilities. (You may spend part of a long or short rest studying and experimenting with the item to learn many, if not all, of its properties. If the item requires attunement, you'd need a separate long or short rest to establish it.)
Graxx turns to fully appreciate the art. He has learned from Utar that Torm was the right hand of Tyr, but he was not the only contemporaneous devout of the deity. The images of the female knight in shining armor and the priest protecting his congregation are scenes depicting famous stories about followers of Tyr, the god of Justice. One of the paintings also depicts Torm in prayer, being blessed by Tyr.
While taking a short break to entertain himself, Utar is struck by a spark of realization. He deduces that the book titled "On Arcane Maladies and their Amelioration" is based more on folk wisdom than actual fact, and should be of little use to anyone with the means to magically treat those peoples and places afflicted by curses. Something about the other, more mysterious book, the one titled "Moonsea Cults," suggests deeper meaning. Utar has heard from priests of Torm that many early variants of Common existed, and one of them in particular, called Thorass if he remembers correctly, used to be a favorite of early theological enthusiasts.
Something clicks with Utar. He lets the scroll roll together and he sets it down absently on the desk. Taking up the time on arcane maladies he finds his mind drifting back to his time as a novice of Torm.
Absently, his hand reaches for the amulet around his neck, casting guidance. Taking a deep breath, he stares hard at the text.
Graxx steps back from the painting and looks over to Utar. "Utar... My brother... This painting depicts your god Torm and Tyr blessing Torm. I feel Torm has brought you here. This is your time."
Graxx turns to Praxx, "Master Praxx, any luck with the desk?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
“Looks like we have a lock over here everyone. Two drawers are empty but this last one.... should we break it and just stage it as a robbery?” Praxx says puzzled.
*OOC- I know I have examined what I have seen on top but can I lay on the floor and look at the bottom of the locked drawe and see if maybe I can pry the bottom off easily or if there is anything off interest under the desk? If so Investigation check- 7
Living with an organization that depends on mutual trust has given her an idea of the sort of conduct that clients expect from her clan. With the nature of their work, clients often give some leeway on how far they can go to complete a job. But hearing Praxx brazenly suggest such an action left her aghast.
"Whoa! What?! Praxx, this isn't just a ruin we've happened across, this is someone's home; One of the caretakers of which is here with us! I highly doubt these fine people would allow us to stay long after destroying their superior's property."
Shandra moves her arms as if she was about to say something out of disgust, but Neya beats her to the punch. Nonetheless, after regaining a bit of her poise and interrupting Praxx's attempt to kneel and look under the desk, the matron adds: "Listen, mister Praxx, I trust you have the best of intentions here. Your group's actions up to this point don't make me think otherwise. That is why I brought you and your companions to my master's chambers. But, do not think that I am stupid just because I am simple folk. I would know very well it wasn't a robbery. That said, If you really believe there might be something in that locked drawer that will help you in your investigation, please feel free to break it if necessary. If you find nothing you judge to be of interest, you'll promise to leave it behind. My husband can fix the desk afterwards and we can ask Karst the ferryman to bring some spare padlocks on his next supply run, the cost of which would have to come from your pocket. I am sure you understand." (The whole party hears this.)
While Neya, Praxx, and Shandra settle this slight disagreement, Utar has yet another moment of clarity. Picking up the mysterious tome, the cleric borrows from his early theological teachings to recall a handful of Thorassi symbols. Over the next few minutes, he is able to decipher the title of the tome and the name of its author: "Moonsea Cults by Thalioss of Tyr." A few more minutes paging through the book and Utar concludes that it details various ancient cults and their religious practices complete with detailed sketches. This is as much as Utar can manage with his passing recollection of a few ancient symbols and no more than a few minutes of study. A more thorough understanding of the language or some other magical means would be necessary to delve into the tome's details.
Graxx then brings Utar to the paintings hoping he can derive more meaning from them but the cleric's mind is too focused on the Thorassi text for him to show them the amount of attention the paintings deserve.
Drazzim offers to break the drawer's lock, as long as Praxx is willing to cover the costs and Graxx is not calling dibs on the show of strength being put on the table (a lock and key cost 10gp according to the PHB. I'll say repairs to the furniture would cost another 3gp).
Drazzim takes the one bed left, that is, the smaller one in the tanned walls room.
Shandra comes back a few minutes later, carrying a large tray of tea, milk, and baked goods as snacks. It all smells warm and inviting. She sets the tray up in the coffee-table in the room with coat-of-arms wallpaper and invites you all to enjoy afternoon tea (again, it is mid-afternoon at the moment). Rupert is sound asleep, so he won't be joining you for tea.
The group continues to discuss their next steps. (OOC: How long this takes in-game is up to you. If you want to discuss and spring into action, we can say that the talks lasted half an hour or so. If you want to take a long rest, we can say the talks lasted for 3 to 4 hours and then you went to sleep. If taking the sleep option, I'll need a religion check from each of you.)
Feel free to take the planning into the OOC chat.
Having missed out on soup earlier in the day, Utar is glad of the repast and thanks Shandra before tucking into a nice cup of tea and a biscuit; heartily dunking the biscuit into the tea before eating it.
"I suppose we wont do any good if we are wore down" Praxx says to the group.
"This would be a great time for us to get our bearings, eat, and get some rest" says Praxx
"I call small bed!" as he looks at Graxx
"Sorry, Praxx but I don't think we have the time." Graxx says to Praxx. "We can't just sit here with our teeth in our head and let those merc's get the jump on us. We finish this meal and then make for Igan's quarters as Neya suggested."
Graxx grins, "Besides, I imagine the best time to spot a spirit would be at night. When we get back, I won't fight you for the small bed."
Graxx will take the bread and try his best to smile wishing he had meat. "Appreciate, the food!"
Over the next few minutes, the group enjoys a much needed snack and plans ahead. The first step in their plans is to investigate Igan's quarters, and they let Shandra know of such intentions. The house matron then gladly guides the party upstairs to the third floor once they are ready, and unlocks Igan's doors with her copy of the master key. "There, that should do it. Please don't take too long in there. I know you are doing this in order to help, but I am sure Master Igan wouldn't exactly appreciate strangers going through his belongings. Thank you for understanding." She then keeps the door open and stays put, sort of keeping an eye on your group and what you are doing while in Igan's suite.
The suite is not the master bedroom, but right next to it. A quick glance shows that the three room suite—comprised of a bedroom, a sitting area and a small office— offers a couple of balconies that overlook the courtyard below. The wall and floors are richly decorated with carpets, paintings and tapestries depicting various heroic scenes. Despite being very obviously cleaned recently and everything dusted within the last couple days, the area looks lived in and is definitively untidy. The bed is freshly made and a few piles of laundered clothes lay on the bench at its foot. A bookcase full of books and scrolls stands beside a large, comfortable sofa with two large books laying on it; open to various pages. A desk full of papers also looks recently used.
(NOTE: When rolling investigation or other checks in this room, please be specific about what you are looking into.)
Graxx will go to each of the paintings and tapestries admiring the heroic scenes. Graxx would like to know more about what is depicted and reach out to lightly touch these works of art. Graxx is both inspecting the heroic scenes but pushing on the tapestries to feel if there is anything such as a secret hole hidden behind them. For the painting he just lightly touches the frames to see if they seem loose like something is hidden behind them.
Investigation: 7
Reasoning that these are these are the books most likely to have last been read before Igan disappeared, Utar crosses the room to the open books, studying their contents and checking the titles.
Investigation - 5
Having gone through those books, he turns his attention to the ones on the bookshelf. Picking up the odd scroll or book, hoping one might give some insight to the workings of the lighthouse.
Investigation - 5
Neya is going to search the walls of the room for anything that might suggest a hidden passage or chamber.
Perception: 10
Extended Signature
Praxx approaches the desk and begins rifling through the pages very gently and examining the desk itself. He whispers to himself “There has to be something....”
investigation- 21
Graxx: The heroic scenes depicted by the painting and tapestries call to the large human, who approaches in admiration. The artwork depicts scenes of heroism and sacrifice. Among them a female knight in shining armor facing a red dragon in a burning village and a priest bathed in light keeping a group of undead at bay while his congregation barricades itself within his church. The scenes are a bit idyllic in that the side of good always appears to be winning. There might be a deeper significance to these specific scenes, but they are a bit beyond the barbarian's comprehension at the moment. As he lightly touches the pieces of art, the delicate silk of the tapestries and filigree of the painting frames rob him of his urgency to check for hidden compartments. The barbarian might just be on the verge of becoming an art enthusiast. (A religion check is needed to derive meaning from the art.)
Neya: It isn't until the comparatively smaller frame of the woman in the party approaches that the tapestries reveal their secret. Touching the walls near one of them causes one of the stones to be pushed inward, which in turn forces a section of wall behind one of the tapestries to swing open like a small hidden cupboard. You can hear a gasp coming from Shandra, who watches it with utmost attention. Inside, an almost entirely closed helm rests. The piece of headgear looks like it belongs on a full set of plate armor, including a piece of chain mail coming from within to protect the back portion of the wearer's neck. The sides of the helm are adorned by metal version of elven ears, although it is hard to tell whether those are functional or not for protection purposes. There are no eye slits on the helm. Instead, each eye socket is filled by a piece of eye-shaped, green-tinted glass, which might be quite obnoxious during combat. The only part of the head that does not look protected by this helm would be the mouth and chin of the wearer.
Utar: The cleric focuses first on the open books atop the sofa. The first is an ancient-looking book titled "Moonsea Cults" by Thalioss of Tyr. It is written completely in a strange language, although it has some hints of a more modern Common. The second is a more contemporaneous book, written in Common, titled "On Arcane Maladies and their Amelioration", and authored by Dunhowla Pickerright. The book is open on what amounts to a table of contents, but the rest of the tome discusses potential curses and how to counteract them. (An arcana check is needed to evaluate how proper these might be.) The half-orc then approaches the bookcase. Unlike the sofa, this piece of furniture does not pre-select which books or scrolls could be of interest. The first tome he pulls offers a dissertation on the arcane properties of wheatgerm, the second offers a discussion on the value of various types of soil as offering to the divine, and the third is a scroll with three different but short children's tales. The cleric finds himself a bit overwhelmed by the shear number of potentially useless knowledge for the task at hand, but still suspects something of use could be found.
Praxx: The papers on the desk have sketches, random musings and observations, and rather shoddy attempts at poetry. The sketches depict mostly the keep and its people. The desk has three drawers, each secured with a simple lock. Two of these locks were left open, the third one is still locked. A potential key to these locks does not seem to be on the desk itself, and Shandra offers a legitimate sounding "I don't know" when asked about this third padlock. Inside these opened drawers, the bard finds more junk, mostly nothing special, except for a sketch of what appears to be a shrine of sorts. (A religion check is needed to identify details from the shrine.)
Drazzim: The dwarf leaves the investigating to the rest of the party and turns to face the door, half-expecting the mercenaries to show up at any point.
Neya tries to recall if she has heard or read of this helm
History: 5
Extended Signature
Graxx looks over and says, "Well I'll be. Leave it to Neya to always find the secrets!"
Graxx turns back to the paintings. Very intrigued. "I just feel like there is more to these stories."
Graxx will stare a bit longer at the paintings:
Religion Check: 14
Utar continues to browse over the scroll with the children's tales scrawled on them, preferring them to the treatise on wheatgerm or soil. As he reads, he brushes some crumbs from his tabbard.
Thinking back on the books he looked over, and letting his mind wander...
Arcana - 18
Neya tries to remember any mentions of such an unique looking helm, but fails to recall anything specific. She is certain the item is magical and concludes she might need to spend some focused time studying the item before being certain of its capabilities. (You may spend part of a long or short rest studying and experimenting with the item to learn many, if not all, of its properties. If the item requires attunement, you'd need a separate long or short rest to establish it.)
Graxx turns to fully appreciate the art. He has learned from Utar that Torm was the right hand of Tyr, but he was not the only contemporaneous devout of the deity. The images of the female knight in shining armor and the priest protecting his congregation are scenes depicting famous stories about followers of Tyr, the god of Justice. One of the paintings also depicts Torm in prayer, being blessed by Tyr.
While taking a short break to entertain himself, Utar is struck by a spark of realization. He deduces that the book titled "On Arcane Maladies and their Amelioration" is based more on folk wisdom than actual fact, and should be of little use to anyone with the means to magically treat those peoples and places afflicted by curses. Something about the other, more mysterious book, the one titled "Moonsea Cults," suggests deeper meaning. Utar has heard from priests of Torm that many early variants of Common existed, and one of them in particular, called Thorass if he remembers correctly, used to be a favorite of early theological enthusiasts.
Something clicks with Utar. He lets the scroll roll together and he sets it down absently on the desk. Taking up the time on arcane maladies he finds his mind drifting back to his time as a novice of Torm.
Absently, his hand reaches for the amulet around his neck, casting guidance. Taking a deep breath, he stares hard at the text.
Religion 17 plus 3
Graxx steps back from the painting and looks over to Utar. "Utar... My brother... This painting depicts your god Torm and Tyr blessing Torm. I feel Torm has brought you here. This is your time."
Graxx turns to Praxx, "Master Praxx, any luck with the desk?"
Utar turns at Graxx's words and looks at the pictures. Hoping to give some detail to their images.
Religion 6
OOC two in a row was asking too much.
“Looks like we have a lock over here everyone. Two drawers are empty but this last one.... should we break it and just stage it as a robbery?” Praxx says puzzled.
*OOC- I know I have examined what I have seen on top but can I lay on the floor and look at the bottom of the locked drawe and see if maybe I can pry the bottom off easily or if there is anything off interest under the desk? If so Investigation check- 7
Living with an organization that depends on mutual trust has given her an idea of the sort of conduct that clients expect from her clan. With the nature of their work, clients often give some leeway on how far they can go to complete a job. But hearing Praxx brazenly suggest such an action left her aghast.
"Whoa! What?! Praxx, this isn't just a ruin we've happened across, this is someone's home; One of the caretakers of which is here with us! I highly doubt these fine people would allow us to stay long after destroying their superior's property."
Extended Signature
Shandra moves her arms as if she was about to say something out of disgust, but Neya beats her to the punch. Nonetheless, after regaining a bit of her poise and interrupting Praxx's attempt to kneel and look under the desk, the matron adds: "Listen, mister Praxx, I trust you have the best of intentions here. Your group's actions up to this point don't make me think otherwise. That is why I brought you and your companions to my master's chambers. But, do not think that I am stupid just because I am simple folk. I would know very well it wasn't a robbery. That said, If you really believe there might be something in that locked drawer that will help you in your investigation, please feel free to break it if necessary. If you find nothing you judge to be of interest, you'll promise to leave it behind. My husband can fix the desk afterwards and we can ask Karst the ferryman to bring some spare padlocks on his next supply run, the cost of which would have to come from your pocket. I am sure you understand." (The whole party hears this.)
While Neya, Praxx, and Shandra settle this slight disagreement, Utar has yet another moment of clarity. Picking up the mysterious tome, the cleric borrows from his early theological teachings to recall a handful of Thorassi symbols. Over the next few minutes, he is able to decipher the title of the tome and the name of its author: "Moonsea Cults by Thalioss of Tyr." A few more minutes paging through the book and Utar concludes that it details various ancient cults and their religious practices complete with detailed sketches. This is as much as Utar can manage with his passing recollection of a few ancient symbols and no more than a few minutes of study. A more thorough understanding of the language or some other magical means would be necessary to delve into the tome's details.
Graxx then brings Utar to the paintings hoping he can derive more meaning from them but the cleric's mind is too focused on the Thorassi text for him to show them the amount of attention the paintings deserve.
Drazzim offers to break the drawer's lock, as long as Praxx is willing to cover the costs and Graxx is not calling dibs on the show of strength being put on the table (a lock and key cost 10gp according to the PHB. I'll say repairs to the furniture would cost another 3gp).