Killilli’s Dragon Heist

Unless someone stops Aimee, rather quickly, she is absolutely going to sign using a fake name. Hearts above the 'i's.

"Careful young one," Cico finally says to Aimee. "Names have power. A pseudonym should not reveal anything about your real self."

Cico then steps around the dais the book is on, looking at it from the view of the alley, and then looking up to see if there are any spy slots or windows someone could be watching them from.

Aimee writes the name Maimee Smaimee in the book, nothing grand seems to happen - but after a while looking at the name it feels…. Right for you.

Taking Cico's advice Aimee refrains from adding the hearts to the 'i's.

"I really like this name! Really, why shouldn't I get to make my own name? Lyss, make up a name and I'll put it in the book!"

Cico steps further into the alley to look at the mosaic cobblestones showing the different ways of dying.

As Cico steps beyond the podium his foot is stopped against something seemingly solid. There doesn’t seem to be anything blocking his path visually, but it feels like a solid wall.

Cico kneels down and places his hand on the cobblestones and tries moving it forward. If it hits the same solid resistance, he traces the edge of it to confirm it goes across the whole entrance to the alley.

With that determined, he looks carefully at the stones again and along the walls of the alley for anything that might act as a trigger.

"Something lowers this wall," Cico says to the others. "Otherwise the man in blue would still be here."

Perception - to find secret doorway or mechanism w/advantage from Dungeon Delver: 19  

Lyss scrawls "Victoro Bricktoro".

"Nice!"

"Interesting..." Kerri says

Cico, as you look around you notice some familiarities in the figures on the mural at the back of the alley. One is a sneaking halfling in a flamboyant dress, a look of pure terror in her face as she is enveloped in shadows. Another is a young half-elf being electrocuted.

Pointing at the mural at the back of the alley, Cico speaks to the others. “These two wrote in the book and now there are gruesome images including them both on the wall.”

He comes back to the book and looks into it carefully. Then he takes the pen and goes to write, pausing for a moment, then writing Brother Cico. He won’t give the book his full name.

Then he looks up at the murals on the alley wall and takes a step to test the invisible wall again.

Aimee rushes over to examine herself, how good is it? Did they get her hair right? Big patch missing from the scar? Her dimples?

She checks Lyss too.

Investigation: 7

"Neat trick! You think it says I'm going to get hit by lightning? That'd be amazing! What kind of luck would that take?"

She'll rush back over to what for Cico to finish so she can write another name - Dame Vendula the Magnificent!

She'll then check if another picture has popped up of her.

Aimee zooms past Cico and where he was unable to pass. The picture in the mural is surprisingly accurate for such a tiny detail on the large piece. Scar - check, dimples - check, even the hilt of her flaming dagger is drawn to perfection. 

After writing in the book, Cico passes unheeded to the mural. Aimee however, crashes straight into this seemingly invisible wall, unable to step back to the podium.

Cico watches Aimee crash into the invisible wall. He turns his head from her flattened features pressed against the invisible barrier and looks at the others still on the other side of the podium.

He reaches out a hand to test the barrier.

"That's unfortunate," Cico says, raising one eyebrow. "It would seem signing your name lets you in, but not back out."

He looks around the alley and down to the end with the two different directions.

"The blue robed man not being here is a positive sign that there's another way out, but" he gestures at the mural as he speaks "it is likely to be trapped."

"But I didn't write my name, I wrote that uppity nobleman's name.", Lyss will wave a hand where the barrier was.

Aimee rubs her face as she steps back.

"Ouch! And dang!"

She feels for the extent of the wall.

"I didn't write my name either! I wrote a totally made up name!"

((Aimee has a flaming dagger? I think she can light her hands, and anything in them, on fire but no fire daggers. Yet.))

Cico swivels back and looks at Lyss.

"Don't step further," Cico says. "It may not care what you actually wrote. If you come further, you may end up trapped on this side with Aimee and me."

He then turns back to Aimee. 

"It may not be the name written, but the act of writing that allows entry," he says to Lyss.

Cico then pulls off his pack and starts looking through it, removing the rest of his waiter's uniform with one hand and pulling out a coil of rope with the other. He steps back a couple of paces from the invisible barrier and begins swinging an end of the rope around in a circle, gaining momentum. He releases the one end of the rope, letting it rise high in the air, seeing if it can be thrown over the barrier.

Aimee watches with cheerful interest, taking a big step back.

"Hey Lyss, can you toss the book in here?"

Lyss tries to wrestle the book off the podium.