"Unfortunately it is correct. I do actually know what the source looks like. The source looks like a giant sphere made out of a pulsating white substance that strangely glows gold. It defies what should be possible and make sense. it looks like it is white flesh, oozing waxy slime and a thick foggy gas at the same time. I know my words sound like I have gone mad. But truly the source is unlike anything that should be possible. When you see it, you will know you've found it. As for where it is, it is where Wave Echo Cave used to be, east of Phandalin. I have strong reason to believe that the source is in the Forge of Spells in Wave Echo Cave."

She pauses and then adds, "And that is the problem. It looks to me that both Phandalin and Wave Echo Cave have been consumed by the corruption and become fused with Hotel Celestia. I do not know how to navigate to that place though this cursed, labyrinthine inn from the abyss."

Skarro growls in frustration. His eyes flicker from his Goddess then to Varn and then back again. "So we question the manager, ask who he reports to. Or..." he grins, "...maybe tell him the boss sent us to cleanup the mess in you-know-where...and see where he sends us?"

Bump. So you're all standing in front of this door talking. What are you going to do?

With a glance at Varn, Skarro tries to open the door.

Opening the door, Skarro finds a relatively normal looking office. The wooden floor has an old blue carpet. There is a bookshelf on the left filled with books. There is a slim door on the right. On either side of Skarro there are wooden chairs to sit in. In the middle of the room towards the back wall is a large desk with a strange device on it on one side, some paper and pen on the middle and a odd looking lamp on the right. Instead of a flame, the lamp has a glass orb attached to it that glows with bright light. A similar dome-shaped lighting fixture is one the ceiling. On the back wall, behind the office desk and chair is a large window with green curtains. On the other side of the window... is a dirty brick wall. The window has been bricked up for some reason. On the chair, is a tall man. He is as tall as the woman in the front desk. He looks a bit more stranger than the woman. For one he has very thin and long black arms with long sharp tipped fingers. His head seems to be shrouded in perpetual darkness with only two glowing orbs of white being visible eyes. The man wears a black suit but somehow the black cloth is fused with the skin of his black arms. Is the suit part of his body or is his body fused to the suit? 

The man speaks in that strange, twisted tongue. "Come in! come in, welcomed guests. How can I help you?"

Skarro glances at the others then clears his throat before speaking, "Big Boss said something's wrong. We should ask you, then look ourselves." He then looks a little annoyed, "Did not tell us where to look, though." He then turns to Varn, pointing. "He can explain."

(( Hoping Skarro's actions count as help to Varn ))

"Ah! Right!" Varn gets caught off guard, but quickly improvises. "Boss said he received complaints about a big white ball or golden white. Said whoever made the complaint was probably mad, as they described it as being both flesh, gas and slime at the same time," Varn tries to repeat Tiamat's description as best he can, "but just to be safe, he sent us to check on the matter and clean it up in case there's a base to this complaint. Said you'll be able to show us the way, or at least that you could give us the keys to the room it's in, or a master key, since we don't know which room it's in, exactly." 

A flimsy story? Maybe, but it was the best he could make with what he was given. Well, in truth, it wasn't that far off from reality. His only worry was that maybe, just maybe, this giant in front of them doesn't have a boss they answer to. After all, wasn't he the boss himself?

In case Persuasion is needed: 16.

Varn is very charismatic with his words. However his fear was perhaps true. The cloaked figures' "boss" is the Emperor himself and the glowing orb is not something that would be ordered to clean up. Thanks to his raw charisma though, the giant doesn't immediately call out the lie, if he even caught it at all.

The giant looks angry and its eyes glow red. "You've got the wrong place fool! Stop wasting my time!"

Skarro's eyes go wide as the story unfolds, and he is barely able to contain himself, his agitation clear. Doesn't Varn realize that this man works for the big boss and the orb is their creation? At the end of the speech he hastily adds, "No, no, no! What Varn means is we were sent to make sure thing is safe. Varn easily confused."

Skarro turns to Komos, speaking in a stage whisper, "It is as we were told: He knows nothing of any dangers."

"Right!" Komos chimes in, "Varn, get the wax out of your ears! You mean to clean up around the orb of course!"

"That's what I meant. Clean it up - make sure it's clean. Did I misuse the phrase?" Varn tries to fake ignorance, but did make the mistake, of course, and now backs away slightly from the fuming giant. "But maybe you're right. There would be no reason to clean it, so the intention was surely to clean around it — silly me." Varn waits to see whether their improvised lies saved them or not before he accidentally adds more fuel to the fire.

In case Deception/Persuasion (same bonus) is needed: 21.

(( Varn might be able to assume help from the words of both Skarro and Komos? ))

Perhaps this lie would have worked had the party started with it but the creature is suspicious now. He says a bit more calmly, "There'd be no need to clean it or around it. Go clean something else. The hallways of floor 2 are covered in feces. Go clean that instead."

Skarro nods and leaves the room. If/when they get outside, he shakes his head sadly at Varn then says, "If he wants us to go up, it's probably down. Right?" He looks now at Komos.

As he waits he tries to recall if he's seen any stairs leading down...

"Right, sorry for troubling you." Varn backs away after Skarro, out of the room. 

"Damned giants." He exclaims in Kobold once out of the room, hoping either the closed door would mute the sound or that the giant doesn't speak Kobold. "We can try the receptionist, can't we? Tell her he sent us to her so she'll show us the way, or something?"

(Sorry for the delay. Got busy for the past few days)

@Skarro: Skarro does not recall any stairs leading down that he's seen; only ones leading up. Of course there are still a lot of places in this massive hotel that the party hasn't been to. Although it would be impossible to fully explore this place, some exploration might help finding stairs down.

@Varn So you go back to the receptionist?

Varn only suggested that, but he would lead the way back if nobody objected. "Hey again!" He calls the giant receptionist once they reach there. "The manager sent us back to you, told us you'll tell us how to get to the boss."

When Varn and the party retraced their steps back however, they notice the reception is empty. There is an eerie silence about the place. Tiamat comments, "I do not like this. I have a bad feeling about our current situation."

Skarro looks hurriedly about for a door, heading toward the nearest and trying to open it.

There are no doors that Skarro can see. There are some small wooden lockers behind the reception desk. There are stairs going up and an archway to the right of the stairs that is shrouded in darkness and the party doesn't know what's on the other side without going that way.