Richard begins his search in the room, examining the bed, the floor, and the door and any windows if it has any. The then follows the most direct path to the coffers, keeping an eye for any other paths that could have been taken. Particularly if there are paths that avoid doors, windows, and are dark. He is looking for abnormal anomalies, signs of magic in particular. Once he had traces the possible paths to the coffers he pauses for a second at the door to gather his thoughts and any insights he may have come across. Also waiting to hear if those with him picked up on something he did not.

Taking a torch, Mikhail led what ever search he could outside. He kept the light close to the ground and the walls, intent on looking for footsteps leading from the Chantry. Maybe even for a cracked window or some other sign as to mark the someone's escape from the outside.

Brother Loran moved to the second floor where the burglary had taken place to see if the thieves might have left something to indicate who they were

19:49, Today: Mikhail Loren rolled 12 using 3d6+1 with the AGE System with rolls of {6}, 2, 3.  Perception (Tracking).

19:49, Today: Mikhail Loren rolled 12 using 3d6+1 (3 stunt points) with the AGE System with rolls of {3}, 4, 4.  Perception (Tracking).

19:48, Today: Mikhail Loren rolled 14 using 3d6+1 (1 stunt point) with the AGE System with rolls of {1}, 6, 6.  Perception (Tracking).

OOC:For all the rolls needed to be made for my above actions.

Within the chantry building, Richard and Loren begin in the quarters Sexta shared with Ser Faustine and the chantry sisters. They find no obvious signs of anything out of the ordinary; Loran knows these rooms aren’t normally locked.

The storage “vault” on the second floor is little more than an extra room that is used for storage, rather than sleeping. Some valuables are kept there, though they’re usually items that are being stored in the longer term, not items that are used daily or weekly. (This amounts to silverware, extra candleholders, and so on, but occasionally would include Andrastean symbols that are gilt in precious metals. By Loran’s count, at least four silver candlesticks are missing, as is a chantry medallion made from blue vitriol.)

Downstairs, they find the actual vault, which is next to where the novices sleep. It is a locked door, but Richard sees it’s not particularly complicated; he does find fresh scratch marks on the lock that are not consistent with a key. Loran is able to borrow the key, and they find one of the three coffers has been emptied of its coin; full, it would easily contain more than a thousand coins, though Loran expects it was only a third full. Richard notices one of the other coffers has scratch marks similar to the door, though the box doesn’t appear to have been opened. (Loran doesn’t have keys to the coffers. Only the senior sister and the reverend mother can access them.)

Given the number of people who have been congregating near the front door after everyone had awakened, there’s no way to tell if she went out that direction; however, Richard also can’t believe that would be possible, since he was watching the front of the building.

Ser Elias mentions an old escape tunnel from the Orlesian occupation. It was normally boarded up, but had been reopened recently, due to a minor vermin problem that was coming from the tunnel. They hadn’t closed it up, and it’s accessible from the first floor storeroom (across the hall from Loran’s quarters in the rectory).

*~*~*~*~*

Mikhail and Fost search around the building. They don’t see any evidence of tracks or other signs of passage around the building, and begin to expand their search slowly. They find nothing out of the ordinary until they reach the tavern, where they discover footprints sneaking about the south side - barefoot - that lead up and out of town; they’re joined by boots digging into the soil, which probably belong to Adric, since he was the footman chasing her.

Going back the other way, though, the footprints stop somewhere in the grass behind the tavern, but with no obvious place of origin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:06, Tue 09 June 2020.

Fost looked puzzledly at the tracks left behind. He just could not remember if Sexta had worn shoes of any kind or if she had been bare-footed. Naturally he was aware that sneaking without shoes or boots was easier, but then again out therei nthe open, with so much rock, going barefoot was not to be advised.

"Adric needs to come here, we need to cross-check if these are his boot prints.", he commented when they first saw the boot tracks, "Clearly a heavier person than Sexta, or armoured."

Fost then went inside and roused the tavern owner.
"Sorry for waking you, but we need to check the ground floor. Maybe we find some bare-footed tracks. Did you have anyone in tonight who slept in the common room or in the bar room ? And has that potential person disappeared ?"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:05, Sat 13 June 2020.

Ser Perth calls for Adric, who is in the commons area in front of the chantry, as Lloyd calls out from behind the door, "Hold on, hold on! Give me a chance to unlock it!"

Lloyd is "about 30," somewhat heavy set with brown hair. He keeps himself clean-shaven; he said once that the reason was no one wants to find a "curly" in their mug - no one can ever remember how that came up.

A moment later the door opens; he nods at Fost's request, stepping aside to let the group in. "Fost, you know I don't let folks sleep off their drink in here. Ain't no one been in the tavern since I ran off Dwyn and Orlin at, what, one, I think? I locked up right after. Sent Irenia home around midnight or so."

"Well, it seems we should follow the Escape tunnel and see where, and what can be discovered. Other than that, she, and I do believe this was Sexta, is a decent burglar. The one lock she couldn't get. The only other peculiar thing is that she found her way so easily to the coffers, but not so difficult either, not hidden." With that Richard set off to the tunnels letting Ser Elias lead the way.

Fost nodded at Lloyd.
"Sorry, Lloyd. Maybe you made an exception."
"All those you mentioned wore shoes or boots, right ?"

Right, so whoever had lurked outside had not been inside the tavern.
Maybe some sort of secret tunnel that had its entry near the tavern ?

Fost looked at his companion, not sure how to proceed.
"It's too dark to follwo those tracks in the night. On the other hand we loose time if we don't. Either way, not just the two of us. Better get back to the Chantry and see what they may have learned."

With a look to Loran - the unspoken question of whether the brother is going to join them in his eyes - Ser Elias takes a candelabra in hand and heads into the tunnel, Richard not far behind him.

The tunnel is finely hewn and clad with brick and stone for the first 10 yards, the ancient stairs leading down still in relatively decent repair (if a bit dusty), but then turns into a rough-cut tunnel supported by a stone column every 6-7 yards or so. Incredibly enough, even being at such a low elevation (and likely not far above the waterline of the tide), the tunnel is completely dry - almost like it was sealed against it. Richard is no mason, but that seems unlikely, given the purported age and neglect of the place.

After some distance, the tunnel ends abruptly at a ladder. The wood is old, but still in decent condition and shows signs of recent use.

*~*~*~*~*

Before Mikhail can answer, Ser Perth returns from talking to Adric and confirms that the boot prints that join the others were the footman's, and that the sneak was far enough ahead to be just in sight as he followed.

"Did Lloyd know anything?" he asks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:03, Thu 18 June 2020.

"It would seem that he did not. How about at the Chantry? Anything?" The longer this was going to take, the long whoever did this had to run. "If only I could whip up a spell and track her down. I don't know how else we're going to find her at this point. Has anyone else suddenly gone missing?" It wasn't likely, but it would be far easier to let this blame fall upon an elf. It still didn't quite add up to him, but he hadn't seen all the evidence yet. Primary evidence being any trace of Sexta.

Fost was glad that it were Adric's boot prints.
He really would not have liked the notion that someone from the town had benn helping the bare-footed thief willingly.

"Ser Perth, would you know of any scret tunnels going form the Chantry to here ? See those foot prints ? They just appear out of nowhere. They are not deep enough to warrant the idea of someone jumping down form the roof of the tavern."
"Mikhail, ist there any magic that allows someone to appear suddenly in one place ?"

Naturally Richard uses the stairs and goes up leaving the tunnel, curious to see where it will open to.

What is further curious, how did Sexta know of this tunnel? Was she just lucky?

With that thought he pauses, looking to see if other recent footprints, not just hers are here. And when he crawls out before going out completely, not wanting to disturb the scene, looks for recent footprints not hers, that look like they loitered here, are pointed at the entrance, and have more weight at theirs indicating someone stood at the spot for a moment, or if that someone people her out. Also looking for boot prints leading away from the bare feet indicating assistance, but didn’t go with her. He didn’t want to believe someone could have helped on the inside, but, the questions must be asked.


OOC

Here are three perception rolls I don’t know how many you would need so I rolled three to cover my base.

22:30, Today: Richard rolled 12 using 3d6+3 with the AGE System with rolls of {3}, 4, 2. - [roll=1592627413.21898.340889]

22:30, Today: Richard rolled 16 using 3d6+3 with the AGE System with rolls of {6}, 4, 3. - [roll=1592627409.91177.340889]

22:30, Today: Richard rolled 10 using 3d6+3 with the AGE System with rolls of {1}, 2, 4. - [roll=1592627406.98521.340889]

In reply to Fost (msg # 54):

"Sadly, no. Magic has it's limits. You can increase you speed to incredible heights, but even attempting to pop on over to another city or enter the Fade is beyond us. That doesn't stop the rumors, though we need only look to Tevinter for a reminder on why it's best to avoid such a mistake." That was just a part of the cardinal rules of magic, what can and can not be done. All those who attempted to cheat these same rules met with terrible disaster, but there was no doubt that many would still try to push that limit. "However, you could manipulate the world through illusions to give that impressions. With enough lyrium, you could create a powerful spell to propel you to such a speed that you could perhaps appear to instantly  arrive at a location, but I haven't the foggiest idea on how that would be done. Not without my notes and studies, anyhow."

As they move around the side of the tavern to talk further (to let Lloyd go back to sleep), Ser Perth nods at Mikhail's statement on the limits of magical power; however, his attention is drawn past the others to something behind the building. They look also, and find a hatch lift up to a low angle, with Richard's head poking out of the opening as he examines the ground around his position.

Richard, for his part, doesn't immediately notice his friends and acquaintances near the corner of the tavern building, his eyes focused on the barefoot prints walking away from his very position, and a group of more-recent boot prints stepping over and around them. Only then does he notice Mikhail's night robes and Fost in his shift and trousers, with Ser Perth in a tunic and surcote beyond, standing next to Adric.

OOC: Okay, the party is back together.

Surpised at the sudden appearance of their comrade Fost blurted.
"Well, that explains the tracks' origin."

Fost shared what they had learned, niot that it had been much.
"So I think we can agree that Sexta had a most uncanny knowledge of the layout of the Chantry. She did not realyl have the time to check it all at a leisurely pace, would you not agree ? Yet she found the treasury and the secret tunnel."
He turned to those savvy in the workings of Magic.
"Again I have to ask. Could she have unnatural powers that allowed to achieve these feats ?"
"Anyway, I suggest that first thing in the morning, as soon as we have sufficient light, we set out."

Startled himself by the group just outside the "secret" tunnel, he gets out and holds the trapdoor open for those behind him. He begins his account of what he discovered, keeping his suspensions to himself.

"Yes, it seems our damsel in distress has more skills then she let on. I agree with my hardy friend, continuing a search in the night would only end with us tired, possibly hurt, or lost. We have our suspensions where she will be headed, no need to rush off in the dark. Maybe we can pay our visitor a proper welcome tomorrow."

Mikhail shrugged to Fost, holding his empty hand out. "Who knows? Is there a spell? Possibly. Remote viewing is certainly possible. She could have trafficked with a spirit and learned of it as well. If she was a malificar herself, blood magic can certainly warp a person's mind into doing whatever she wanted."

It was at this point he wished that there were other mages nearby. At least one of his teachers. Learning some more spells would be very helpful right about now.

Brother Loran caught a glimpse of the group near the tavern from the second floor of the chantry window and hurried down to join them.

"did you find her?" he said slightly out of breath looking round to see if she was in fact with the group

Fost shook his head in frustration.
"So everything is possible. Well, guess we'll have to take it in stride then."

The warrior then looked at Loran.
"No, she escaped."

He had to shake his head before Fost was too upset at his answer. "No. Not everything. However, we have no information on her. We can argue the finer details once we know more. Until then, treat her like we would her Master. An unknown and a potential danger." He still didn't believe it, but it would be better for the moment to simply grant their premise in order to move forward with this. Otherwise, they will sit here all night into the morning arguing the minute details while she was continuing to get further away. Without any way to see in the woods at night right now, he reluctantly had to agree. "First light then. We need to be ready to move and track them down at least at that point."

"I'll meet you at the windmill with a few men, in case we're needed," Ser Perth offers.

The knight and footman say their farewells, the former returning to his lodgings and the latter returning to his night watch. The rest of the assembled find their way back to their beds, to get as much sleep as they can in the hours that are left.

Morning arrives all too soon, and, as the first rays of sunlight illuminate the windmill, Mikhail, Loren, Fost, and Richard cross the bridge from the lower village and find Ser Perth and four footmen waiting for them. He gives them a courteous nod, and, soon, they're on their way.

"I suggest to make for the Crossroads straight off with haste. She has a lead on us and she will chosen speed instead of hiding as she could have rightly assumed that no one would be travelling in the middle of the night. The Crossroads is where she will join up with her folk, or that's what I believe. I do no longer think that she is acting vigilante. If so, we will probably never find her. Or we split up, one group hastening for Crossroads, while the others check if they can find her hiding somehwere."

"Agreed Fost, even if she hides for the night, If I were her I would be headed to the Crossroads at first light with haste. Hoping that my lord would protect me. Prepare ourselves, I would think she will stir up trouble fabricating lies about us, and he location. I will also guard ourselves, if she does not believe her lord would protect her then she will cut across the county and we may never see or hear from her again. Still, we must travel to the crossroads."

"I don't know about that. If she takes off, it won't be worth it to track her down. At least, not for myself. I can't track. Heading to the Crossroads sounds like a good plan. Richard, if you could keep an eye out for obvious trails, I'll do my best to support you where I can."