You find yourselves standing before a four story tall structure which boasts balconies, a turret, and five chimneys. This abandoned building was one of the grandest in Alley but has obviously seen better days. Per the deed it is called Snake Skull Manor and sits on the northern entry to Snake Skull Alley. Several other building line the alley - many are shops and businesses.




This message was last edited by the GM at 16:57, Thu 10 Dec 2020.

Upon arrival, Raszire silently bows his head, closes his eyes, clutches his amulet, and softly mumbles a short prayer and casts Detect Magic.

"Now that we're here, let's see what mysteries this...", he scans the manor from side to side, top to bottom, "manor..." (he says with a slight tone of disgust) "has in store for us."

He very conspicuously begins to inspect the outer facade of the structure more intensely, waiting for the others to continue any conversation or advance towards the building.

OOC: I've got 10 minutes on this spell to determine if we encounter anything enchanted or cursed, so let's look fast, lol.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:43, Fri 03 Jan 2020.

Filimena looks up at Raszire. "Oh come now," she says, taking a step towards the front door, "This is nowhere near as awful as I imagined." She chuckles, leaving the dragonborn to decide whether she's being sarcastic.

Looking at the manor, Marik tries to keep attention to what the others are saying but his mind wander. That's a...house?  That's enormous! How can a family, let alone one person need that much space?  Oh,  look at those windows! They would need to be replaced. That roof too, it looks like it's leaking. That means the walls are probably full of mold. Serious carpentry work needed there probably. And those balconies....by the spirits....they looks like they are about to fall off. The construction looks well made though and the structure looks sturdy enough. All if would need is carpentry works made by a skilled hand, and...


Hand....Hand....Why does that word makes him thinks...


Oh, yeah! He almost forgot.


Marik turn to Disanz.


"Impressive....Oh...before enter...now that...we're alone...something to ask you...important"

He gets out the pair of bracers with the Vellardin crest.

"These...are elven....but found here...Titan's Gate. What could tell me...about these?"

Raszire's quick survey of the exterior reveals no signs of magic on building. There is a side stair that leads up to the second floor from the street.

There are four doors into the main floor - the main is a handful of step up, another comes in from the porch, while the third and fourth are on the back of the building at ground level.

[Private to Filimena the Gentle:
gambling din with a fallen barkeep
a secret hidden below
missing in the dark
eyes everywhere above
looking inward
]


This message was last edited by the GM at 17:45, Tue 12 Jan 2021.

I think I'll have Rasz move to the main entry. Since he's rather large and the facade looks worse for wear, I'll have him advance rather cautiously, checking for loose floorboards, even the possibility of traps.

13:46, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 20 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 17.  Perception.

“Gambling din with a fallen barkeep,” Filimena murmurs to herself, following behind Raszire. “A secret hidden below, missing in the dark. Eyes everywhere above...”

She pauses, glancing curiously upwards, before continuing, “Looking inward.” What could that possibly mean?

"Rishaal..." note Marik "Thank you..." he says, while putting the gloves away in a bag. "These...not supposed to be here....as you know...attracts hungry eyes...please don't...mention it"


Seeing as both Raszire and Filimena are marching ahead, Marik gently nudge Rani forward. The panther trottle behind the dragonborn

OOC: Is the main entry barricaded as the picture seems to suggest?

The trio enter what was once the tavern’s taproom. Light streams in from the windows behind the group showing the large space to be filled with broken furniture, tarnished silverware, broken dishes, and other detritus.

In the dust on the bartop  letters slowly appear as though made by some unseen hand, they read CLOSING TIME! in the common tongue.

[Private to Raszire Toumash: you sense illusion magic but can't see the source]

Filimena turns slowly and nonchalantly towards Disanz, a deadpan expression on her face, raising a single eyebrow, as if welcoming him to comment.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 10:01, Sun 19 Jan 2020.

As he enters, Marik bows the head, says a few words in elven, like a prayer. As if she was used to it, the panther also stops and bows the head as soon as she hear the words.


[Language unknown: "K A ckivpl elmo th, Pa wi o si ati lo. Proandint sonameles ma hotrni and ec tain o i osmeit, oul I fisom roal sepaec toenpa ma isncev thatedtin. M riar p derandear hat us el naitwa, yin o etsaha i ceers enun undoutent, thuou seome meson rut onivee ar ri ntponoelhe. Me ha t Ounentithome" ]

Marik - please give me a persuasion roll with advantage.

OOC: Marik rolled 7....with advantage. Hopeffully, they'll be smitten by the kitten
This message was last edited by the player at 21:47, Tue 21 Jan 2020.

A few glasses from the floor lift up and set themselves on the bar then a dusting rag begins to clean them.

Opening his eyes to the scene, Marik appear pleased and turn toward Disanz.

"Glad to see...they are there"

The spirit don't appear hostile and doesn't seems to want them out. Marik takes it as a sign they are welcome as guests, as per the tradition of the Gift to the Traveler.


Now what?....think Marik. He knows how to be a guest for forest spirits and ghosts, but he realize he has no idea of how to behave as a guest for city spirits, especially in a old tavern.

First things first... think Marik.

[Language unknown:
"Iewe...filepa unmi artai... nc diek loeeta ca us riheno m un hisresnce?" ]

The panther groan and rub her paws on the closest thing that pass for a rug near the entry to remove the sand, mud and dust before entering.

"Good" says Marik. "Allow us...help" he says to the "barkeep". He then proceed to give a few instructions to Rani. The big cat pick up a chair on the floor and set it straight, then picks up gently various pieces of silverware she pass to the elf. Marik get out a cleaning cloth of his own and remove some dust, before putting them on the bar near the "barkeep". He turns to see what the others are doing.

Filimena glares at the elf and the big cat, genuinely flabbergasted. "Erm. Okay," she says. Looking up at Raszire, she shrugs exaggeratedly and makes a face that says, Hey, don't look at me. I have no idea either.

Gingerly, she steps forward, and also begins helping to clean up, taking the opportunity to observe the room a bit more closely.

Filimena is going to use cleaning up as a pretext to investigate the room, basically. She's going to take note of any sign of danger or recent activity, but also is looking for a way that might lead down. I'm guessing this is a perception check?

21:16, Today: Filimena the Gentle rolled 20 using 1d20+3, rerolling ones with rolls of 17.  Perception.

The space is fairly large - some fifty feet long by thirty-five feet wide (roughly 15m x 11m).  Filimena finds little evidence of danger or recent activity, it is as though this place has sat abandoned for some time.

Picking up chairs and tables, Rani and Marik find a fair amount of the furniture have long been broken and a few pieces of tarnished silverware and broken stemware lie under the unkempt wood.

As the group cleans up, the unknown figure continues cleaning glasses at the bar.

Main / First floor MAP!

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:15, Fri 22 May 2020.

Not really sure how to react to the phantasm behind the bar cleaning as we enter the space, Raszire scans the room, a bit disconcerted.

“Forgive me, friends, for being doubtful of our “host”, but I am sensing that this spirit may not be what it appears to be. I believe that we are being set upon by some illusion, though I have yet to decipher its source.”

Rasz moves towards the bar to further investigate the strange phenomenon to which they are all witness.

08:25, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 8 using 1d20 with rolls of 8.  Raszire’s Investigation.
OOC: Sorry for the delay. Vacation zapped a lot of my time recently.  Big oof on the investigation roll...

Marik lift up the head, turns to the "barkeep", then Razsire, then the "barkeep" again, looking puzzled.



"What...What do you see?


He remember seeing Raszire doing some kind of incantation before, a bit similar to when he asks the spirits to see the forces of arcane around them.


"You can see...magic? illusions?"

"Well, it's not so much that I can SEE magic, but that I can sense it. I can sense that what we perceive to be an apparition over here, conducting business behind the bar, is not so much a spirit, but an illusion, set to make us believe that there are spirits about."

OOC: So, I cast my Detect Magic spell before entering the building. It has a duration of 10 minutes. How much longer do I have before the spell runs out? I think I'd like to do some more Investigation in other parts of the house before it's spent...

OOC: Raszire - You have 4 or 5 more minutes on the spell

Who has the items found in the crates back in the warehouse? I believe Marik does but want to make sure as y'all haven't had them identified ... yet

[Private to Raszire Toumash: You do notice Marik's bag radiating a lot of magic ... Conjuration, Divination, Evocation, Transmutation magic

Filimena's bag has some Divination and  Evocation magics ]
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:45, Mon 03 Feb 2020.

Filimena grimaces, looking about her once again. “Well whatever is creating that illusion, if it meant us harm, it would surely have done something by now,” she says, tentatively. ”I think we should head down. There ought to be some secrets there.”

OOC: FIlimena has a clay tablet with some unknown writing on it. Marik has a bracer I think.