"I'd rather not be prying into things, but then again, I'd rather not have this whole sinister business happening in my back yard either."

Most of the time, Brock's skills with locks were of the putting them together variety. Sometimes it was about getting things open but it was typically along the lines of someone losing a key.

This, this was something different. He tried the upstairs box and then the downstairs one, once again bringing tools and skills to the task

21:04, Today: Brock Fineanvil rolled 17 using 1d20+6.  Unlock Downstairs Chest.  21:04, Today: Brock Fineanvil rolled 7 using 1d20+6.  Unlock Upstairs Chest.

Clearly the oddness of the whole scene upstairs had him rattled to the point that he could not unlock the box. The downstairs one, that one he had more luck with.

"If you think it is important, we can certainly open the box upstairs with more muscle and less finesse. Hammer or prybar if you're thinking we really need to see what is inside."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:36, Sun 17 May 2020.

The window has a good view of the street, where an elderly couple and what looks to be their granddaughter can be seen walking down the street.

Across the street another man sits on his porch in a rocking chair nursing some kind of drink.

----

Upon opening the chest downstairs Brock comes face to face with the contents, a leather document protector sealed with a leather string around a button, and books on many different topics: Ialkur's Instructions for Self Actualization, Romance of the Gnomes, Draconomicon, Mrs. Goldings Recipies to Win His Heart, The Haunting of Marowmere, The Rich and why your not one - by Gibriel Brightleaf, Gogreer's Guide to Appraising Precious Gemstones, and Mirthrin's Sword: Tips and Techniques for Beginners.

50 minutes have now passed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:20, Mon 18 May 2020.

  Nashford addresses Brock's question in a hurried tone. "If you think it will help the investigation, you probably should. But faster is better. It feels like we've been much longer than our agreed upon time. "

”I think it is important,” Gregar said, still watching the street.

"OK then, you all go through these books and open up this up." He handed over the big leather envelope that was held with a string and a button. "I'm not exactly the dullest pick in the toolbox but most of these books have kind of harmless names. Aside from the Draconomicon, I don't even know what that is supposed to mean. I'll head on back up and see about taking apart that box enough to learn something."

He turned from the downstairs box and was talking while he went up. "By the way, how much of that stuff do you think we need with us and how much are we just putting back?"

Faced with the stubborn upstairs box, he had a few choices about how to try and get into it. None of them as elegant as just opening the lock. He took one more quick search of the room for the key - under the pillows on the bed - in a couple of drawers - and then set about getting the box open, talking to himself a little even though he had a buddy. "Find my daughter. Sure. Search her house for clues. Sure. I'm certain he didn't mean break into her bedroom box, but he didn't know all the things we'd find either."

Greater good won out over what this would look like to outside eyes.

He started with the lock again, but prying it out instead of trying to unlock it. Brock took out a prybar and set it in place. The idea was to pop the lock out of its setting.



OOC: Crowbar allows to make a Strength Check with Advantage.

07:23, Today: Brock Fineanvil rolled 33 using 2d20 ((13,20)).
07:23, Today: Brock Fineanvil rolled 33 using 2d20.  Strength Check, Advantaged.

Sorry I forgot to tell it to record each die! But I copy/pasted the results. Hurray for a Nat 20, wouldn't have managed that without a crowbar!

Inside the leather binder are dozens of receipts, including one for a padlock from Brock's store, the most expensive and best made kind he offers. The other receipts are for different herbs and minerals, some glass vials, nothing obviously nefarious.

Anything more will require a Insight or Nature.

Upon opening the upstairs chest Brock is faced with a set of winter clothing folded and set neatly inside, as well as some winter boots and gloves.

1 hour has passed since entering the house.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:54, Tue 19 May 2020.

"We need to leave now," Gregar calls out. "The town guard is on the way."

He looks to see if the other upstairs window would allow access to the roof or adjacent building.

OOC: had we noticed a back door at all?

there is a backdoor, yes, in the kitchen.

The window in the upstairs hallway might lead to accessing the neighboring roof with an incredible jump.

The bedroom window faces the alley

And the empty room faces the street.

The house you are in does not have a roof to climb out on, it is a sheer 10ft drop to the ground from the windows.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:52, Tue 19 May 2020.

Garrett made a face and let out an exasperated sigh. Then he nodded at Gregar. "That is unfortunate. And yes, agreed, we should go."

He shook his head and headed for the back door to the house.

The contents of the box were the most normal thing that they'd found so far in the entire house. Clothes, put up for the next season. Clothes that weren't slashed or bloody. It was almost more jarring then finding a new horror. He looked around under the clothes and even turned the boots over in case something was inside of them.

OOC: Just making sure I'm clear about how I searched through the clothes, but if folks were hollering about guards, clearly that had to be fast


He came on down the stairs feeling the rush of hearing the guards were coming. "I'm convinced we're not doing anything wrong here. But I'm equally sure I don't want to spend time explaining it."

Brock followed Garrett to the back of the house. "But we are going to have to tell someone about all of this right?" He asked as he prepared to walk the strangers out through the town in a way that would help them avoid any trouble.

”Let’s find a place where we can talk,” Gregar said as he joined the rest of the group downstairs headed out the back door.

OOC: can we have grabbed some of the books froM the first chest or will that take extra time? Gregar would want the dragonomicon and the folio with receipts but only if that won’t delay our departure further.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:14, Wed 20 May 2020.

  Nashford stretches as he prepares to to hustle to the group's next destination. " It would probably be best to go straight to the client with any useful information. Anyway, I'm ready when you lot are. Where do you want to go? I'm still new to town so I'll probably need directions if it's anywhere I haven't been before. Also do you think it would be best to split up?  "

So far as I count every character is on the second floor.

Brock opening a chest.

Nashford helping search.

Gregar looking through a window.

And Garrett having looked through the wardrobe.

There is the possibility to go grab something from the downstairs chest, but the guard could be there any minute, that would be a gamble on your part. But I will also remind you that Tanner is there specifically to make sure nothing is taken from the house. While you might be able convince him of the need to do this, that too would likely take time that you might not be willing to gamble. The choice is yours.

In response to Brock's question, yes you can all go where ever you like, but remember that Sef is waiting for you at your designated rendezvous, you will have to double back to get her so that she could be at your gathering

Let me know what you would all like to do with this knowledge and I will move the story along in the direction you choose.

Brock rumages through the chest finding nothing other than seasonal clothing.

As he had previously intended to do, he had said they should leave and then began making his way downstairs and out the back door.

"The where to go is easy enough." Brock commented for the group as they headed down the stairs and out the back door. "We'll go to my house, it'll give us a moment to talk and ponder."

"We'll have a nice walk, go pick up Ella, and then back to my house easy as you please."

The group has reconvened at the home of Brock Fineanvil. (I will let him describe his home.)

The group was able to easily avoid any guardsmen that might have been headed to the house they were in; and after dropping off Tanner they doubled back to pick up Sefira who had gathered the requested supplies from Mr. Carver's shop, and had been waiting for them at the earlier rendezvous.

You may all add three days worth of jerked and dried meats as trail rations if you wish.

All of the above took 40 minutes of your time, bringing the current time to 12:40pm

Brock's home was a tall one-story instead of the two-story homes that were common. High ceilings, the only rooms closed with doors were the bedroom and bathroom, everything else connected with doorways. The front door lead to a comfortable living space with sturdy furnishings made softer with cushions and pillows. A long table with bench seats showed the dining space. The kitchen was divided from the rest of the house by a bar that would be at home in any tavern. The kitchen space was a long rectangle clearly divided in half. On one side were the things that made a kitchen, the other side was clearly his home work bench.

The walls were stone and one in four of the stones had been turned into a decoration of a sort, carved with simple images with no real theme - a mountain here, an anvil there, a ferocious bear over there.

Overall the place was neatly kept and tended.

"Please be welcome in my home. I'll get us something to drink, but please, don't wait for me to start talking. We clearly have plenty to talk about." He gathered some cups, poured a pitcher of ale, a pitcher of water, and brought the whole thing out on a stout tray. The whole thing was done as if he'd done it a hundred times before. "We're still looking for her now, but there's certainly more going on than a missing girl."

Slumping into an armchair, Gregar's face was tight and his gaze was held off in the middle distance. First the vision, then the discoveries in the home... What had Reyshanel gotten herself involved in?

"It is obvious that something deeper is afoot, here. Our Reyshanel is not the simple innocent victim as it would have originally seemed. And I suspect Carver is also somehow involved." The cleric took a cup and poured himself some ale, offering to pour for the other guests as well.

"Thank you for the drink, Brock. You have a fine home, here. These carvings," he said, indicating the wall stones, "they are your handiwork, I presume? Impressive detail, but I would expect no less from an accomplished Dwarven craftsman."

Sefira looks about the room and plops down in one of the chairs biting down on some beef jerky. "So we aren't rescuing the girl? Also I spent some time with the old man, and he doesn't seem very nefarious to me."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:34, Fri 22 May 2020.

  Nashford finds something heavy to lean against before speaking his piece. " All right, so there's some things that don't add up. But missing is missing and we are being paid to find this girl. If you have any doubts, why don't we ask Mr. Carver directly? I'm sure we have the time before we head out to search again. Or would you rather discuss what we found at the house first? "

"Thank you kindly." He smiled at the compliment. Even in the middle of all this strange. "Most are mine. The one over the door, my parents did that one."

He listened as the others spoke their minds. "I think we are still looking for the girl. If she's in need of rescue, then yes to that. But she's clearly involved with something. I just do not understand it. It does not appear to be something, you know, wholesome. It isn't like she's in a secret quilting circle to make a surprise for her grandmother."

"We can hit the road and try searching that way. There is some connection to a performance troupe that is literally on their way here right now if not already here. I doubt that Carver is involved only because if he was, why call attention to it by bringing us in?"

He shook his head like that would help clear it. "Before visiting her home, we thought she might have been waylaid in between Tanner's home and here. Now? Now, she may be missing of her own accord, or wrapped up in the involvement of - something. I am wide open to suggestions about where we ought to continue this - but I do not think our path on this goes back to her father."

”Then shall we seek her on the road, then?” Gregar asked, finishing his ale in one gulp.

Garrett was a little relieved when they made it to Brock's house. Maybe the guard were going to the girl's house, maybe they weren't. It was still less stressful to not be in immediate danger of being arrested, especially since they hadn't done anything illegal.

He gave a longing glance at the ale but refrained, instead getting some water.

"Agreed. Regardless of whether she is innocent or not, kidnapped or not, we need to find her."

ooc: So it seems everyone is heading out, there was mention of taking a stagecoach to the site and walking back, is that still something everyone is wanting to do? If so it will cost everyone

The distance is roughly 20 miles so is will cost each passenger 6 silver pieces for a one way trip that will take 3 hours

The group had purchased a ride in a stagecoach operated by a local half-elven woman named Thracee. She had agreed to ferry the heroes out to their destination for 6 silver pieces apiece.

The trip had taken the better part of three hours.

"So you see, by adding in just a bit of milk and stirring at a constant pace, you will get the consistency right. And that is how you make the perfect cream gravy..." Sefira said finishing her recitation of her recipe to the group as the stagecoach came to a sudden halt. A small window behind and above Sefira slid open right after and Thracee moved her face to the new opening to speak to the group. "We are just about to your destination fellas, but this is as far as I am going to go, up ahead it looks as though there was some kind of bandit attack, and I ain't about to get myself jumped by them. I don't recommend getting out here, but if you want I wont stop you. Just make your minds up quickly." The woman said with a worried tone in her voice.

Ahead in the far distance it appears as though the circus caravan that had been on it's way to Greenest had some kind of trouble, from your distance you can barely make out any details, but you can see that at least one of the wagons has been turned on it's side and there is black smoke rising into the air, there appear to be some people moving about the site, but you cannot tell who or what they are doing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:56, Thu 28 May 2020.