Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

[ManWithDoor]

Bertram listens at the door, and hears such silence that the only thing he detects as he concentrates is his own steady heartbeat. He jiggles the door, finding it unlocked and easy to open. The hinge is stiff and noisy, but hasn't rusted shut.

The others go over to the wooden lockers over by the wall. The workmanship is utilitarian, and quite old. The bone-dry air down here is what has prevented everything from rotting into mush. Inside, strangely enough, is a varied cache of weaponry. Each item is coated in preservative wax, and then further individually wrapped in waxed paper. Each locker seems dedicated to a different type of tool of violence - one knives and daggers, another swords, another maces and morningstars. A tall locker carried polearms of different sorts. What kind of strange place is this, that it carried enough weapons for a small garrison?!?

OOC

All of these are Masterwork weapons. If you're down a weapon, or need a spare, feel free to take something. Do keep in mind that you don't have a cart or something to put a bunch in, so looting the whole batch isn't possible. But you can get whatever kind of weapon you'd like to use.

[Othniel]

"Ah, most excellent!" Astraea rummages through until she finds what she's looking for: A well-made longbow with a quiver of arrows and a long, wicked-looking bastard sword. She tucks away her dagger and belts the quiver to her hip, slides the bow over her shoulder, and draws the sword. "Much better. Now if I could only get out of this gown and into some armor."

[Zorbeltuss]

"Anyone else having the feeling we'll be needing these?" Mercutio strikes an upbeat mood. "Whatever that spell was, it wasn't some wizard's apprentice doing, I doubt it's a coincidence we were thrown here, but for what? A game?"

[Grimbold]

Betram gets himself a sturdy quarterstaff, putting his own, inferior one, back into the rack. Then he takes a rapier, and a repeating crossbow with enough bolts. When everyone is ready, he says: "Let's leave through the north door and see if we can find out more about this place.

[Vardaen]

"Excellent."

Theodrix grabs himself a Longsword, unwraps the wax paper and wipes the wax clear so its ready to fight. "Well balanced...and sharp as hell." He straps it on around his belt and takes a small dagger and slides it into his boot. "Alright, come on, times ticking." He moves to the door with Bertram, listens a moment, then readies to go through as its opened.

OOC

I'll update my sheet with weapons later in the week.

[ManWithDoor]

Brother Bertram leads the way through the northern door. A short hallway leaders into another room slightly smaller than the one your first found yourselves in. A wooden counter juts from the north-west corner of this chamber. Open cabinets of dusty liquor bottles stand behind the bar, while one cabinet remains tightly sealed with a visible lock. Three tables with adjacent chairs fill much of the room. Portraits of posing nobles and historical scenes adorn the walls, all badly faded with age. A closed door leads to the east, parallel to the eastern door in the first room.

The kitchen and tables here were clearly meant to feed and entertain guests in a communal meeting area. Those with a working knowledge of history and heraldry recognize notable figures and scenes chronicled by Taldor's Fourth Army of Exploration. Those who care about nitpicking will note that the Voritas family features more prominently than is strictly historically accurate.

OOC

The Fourth Army of Exploration happened between 5000 and 6000 years ago.

Your Senate Aide Badges have the Voritas family seal on them. The family died out some time ago.

[Grimbold]

"Well well, the Voritas family. Interesting."

Action

History to find out anything more about them

[Othniel]

"With the family dead, availing us of their former possessions should be fine, so long as we use them in service of the rightful ruler." Astraea leaves unsaid that she means Eutropia. "Is anyone here good with locks? I promise not to judge you," she added with a wry smile, as she goes to examine the liquor bottles.

[Vardaen]

"This perfect, better than perfect, we now have a base of operations for our cover story of the family Voritas." As he's speaking he pulls out a small metal tool from a pocket, a wire from his belt, and undoes a clasp that turns into lock pick. "Let me try." He sets to working on unlocking the lock, after a good inspection for any sort of traps.

[ManWithDoor]

Many of the liquors here have soured or evaporated over the eons. Two bottles of whiskey were particularly well sealed, and smell like they're still good. Mixed in with various rusted cookware and bone-dry cooking implements, you find a magical wand and a suspiciously well-preserved spoon that is clearly magically endowed.

Theodrix takes out a fancy set of lock-picks and goes to work on the lock. Compared to the rest of this ancient place, the lock is as tough as it was the day it was constructed. The man of mystery here is clearly talented, but after a minute of picking and tensioning, the thing hasn't budged. Maybe there is a key somewhere else in these rooms?

OOC

Grimbold: Knowledge: History - 20 (no pass/fail here, just a relative measure). No real information on the Voritas family. They dropped out of prominence thousands of years ago, and eventually died out. So not much to say unless one were a deep scholar of dead noble houses.

Theodrix: Disable Device: 26, Fail (it's kind of a ridiculous lock).

General Looting: 2 bottles of whiskey, Wand of Create Food & Water (14 charges), and a Sustaining Spoon.