Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

"Eh... Meepo? That might be not a good idea now." Lionel admitted the disrespectful usefulness of the skeletons long ago but right now an army of the skeletons could send the wrong message to the mage. "May be later? If the wizard proves to be uncooperative?"

"What's our story, by the way? We're knocking on the door of a powerful wizard just to say hi?"

(Have we already knocked?)

(Nobody has knocked that I'm aware of.  There's just a traffic jam of confused skeletons halfway out of a hole in the wall....and the sound of equipment cluttering about as it shifts with the change in gravity...a skeleton glances at Meepo, then back at Lionel, then back at Meepo wondering if she should keep going.....)

"We can say the truth? That we are searching an audience on behalf of his former servant?" Lionel sighed even as he spoke, the potential consequences were clear and not very pretty. "Or we can begin with needing help on locating a portal to Material Plane and go from there". (It was still the truth, even if not one that brought them here) "I wander if the wizard still has a hold over the genie and can force him to attack us... Probably better not to check."

     “A lie is better than the truth,” Ketch offered. “Least until it’s found out.”

     “We can tell him we’ve gotten here by accident and been bumbling around trying to find our way home, which is all truthful enough.  We mention that we consulted with Mordekainen on the subject.  Still truthful…” Ketch continues. “Then we just add some frosting to the truth cake.  That this guys name came up and we thought this might be the guy to help!  Still not technically a lie, even…”

"hrmpfh like lost hrmpfh" "hrmpfh genie owes coin where genie hrmpfh".

Meepo sighs, he was hoping to have his skeletons out before they were needed, not trying to get them out during a conflict. He sighs again though and has the skeletons go back into the portable hole.

The skeleton's shrug, and clatter back into the hole that Meepo then folds up with a heavy sigh. 

The group, their story...somewhat straight...knock on the door. Dust sifts down from the outside of the door that hasn't been used in some time. You knock again, but there is nothing but silence from beyond.

So much for keeping good impression and getting the story straight. "Meepo, could you call your genie friend? Would be nice to look behind the door without an open break in. At least at first. The genie might be capable of that." Lionel was sure they will come up with a reasonable explanation why did they broke down the door if it comes to that, but still preferred to be on the good side of the law, when there was an option.

     "If the genie can at least describe the area beyond the door...  How thick the door is, what dimensions the room are, etc...  And if everyone but me and one other can squeeze into Meepo's hole for a minute (that sounds dirty!) then I could teleport me and whoever past the door with no destruction needed," Ketch offers.  It would be Dimension Door rather than teleport, but details are so rarely important...

Lionel's imagination immediately draw a picture for him of an attempt to squeeze into the "Meepo's hole" with countless skeletons, Mordekai, Ulthan and his cat on top of it. It was beyond simple "dirty". He shuddered and knocked on the door again.

"Is Meepo's Hole safe for creatures that need to breathe?" (Mordekai somehow articulates it in a way that makes clear he's capitalised "Meepo's Hole" in his head)

"I was considering Dimension Door myself, but we do have a genie with detailed knowledge of the place. Perhaps the wizard has a back entrance, before we need to utilise Meepo's Hole?"

Meepo pulls out the book and brings forth the book-genie. "Meepo need inforation about place." He says, nodding to the door they are standing by. "Meepo friends have questions..." He glances to the others, ready for them to start asking.

When asked about his portable hole Meepo would nod his head. "Hole safe for people." he confirms.

The genie appears, "Oh wonderful. Look, we have arrived. All that remains is to smash down his door, enter his domain, and politely ask to have him release me!  Excellent!  Oh, questions, of course. I'm sorry, I'm unable to....leave this book to go through that door and look around. Perhaps if you created a book size hole in the door, then slid the book through, and then somehow opened it, then closed it and retrieved it, I may be of service.  No?  Oh, what's inside?  It's a five foot by five foot closet. There are a few brooms on one wall I believe, and a shovel..? Once inside, you simply need to touch the back wall and say 'Salty Air' in Primordial..and you'll be able to pass through to his domain. Salty Air in primordial is 'Ugalthyenkmoore szzilliar'.  Make sure you roll the Z on Szzilliar, otherwise it comes out sounding like 'Salted Air'...which...I'm not sure if that'll open a portal, but if it does, who knows where it will take you." 

"Five by five feet... Barely enough for one being." Meepo's Hole" suddenly begun to look as viable option. The alternative - smashing down the door (can they, may be, carefully take it off hinges?), then trying their best to "roll "z"" and potentially appearing gods know where - that did not sound as a reasonable tactic. However, the problem of fitting everyone in remained. "Can we somehow make skeletons smaller? Or you, genie." Lionel shifted his attention to their "employer". "Can you, say, take a few skeletons into your book with you? No need to go anywhere for that."

The genie looks a bit surprised at the question, "No, I'm afraid I'm rather powerless when enslaved as I am. I'm sorry." 

That said, the hole will be VERY cramped, but you can certainly all fit in it, for a short time. There is probably enough air for 10 minutes or so with a few people in there.

((At this point I would just like to apologize for the whole "Meepo's Hole" thing!  If it's any consolation, I constantly am getting the song "Stacy's Mom" stuck in my head, but with "Meepo's Hole" replacing it...))

     "Do any of us speak Primordial?  At the very least, perhaps whoever can say it most correctly should be one of the ones to Dimension Door inside..." Ketch suggests.

"hrmpfh some places no air hrmph" "hrmpfh anyone know where this go hrmpfh" "hrmpfh go two at time hrmpfh". Ulthan seems to ponder and talk mostly to the cat.

Meepo holds the dark fabric of his portable hole, waiting to see what the group decides. "Meepo no speak that language." He says when asked.

"hrmpfh why portal you you go you you go you you go hrmpfh" He points 2 people at a time that would fit inside closet.