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MotBM

Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:01 pm
by thinkslogically
Beginnings

Image

You have in some way been involved in the theft of a painting named "The False Chanterelle" for a collector. The painting is not considered very good or particularly interesting, but somehow still retains enough interest from collectors and galleries to keep its price high. Following the instructions given to you by your patron, you successfully obtained the artwork and hung it in an old gallery crypt to await collection. Thanks to Aura's influence with her church, the makeshift gallery is quiet tonight and she has assured you that you won't be disturbed. Light from the full moon spills through a glass skylight across the surface of the paint and the scene seems to come to life. You can't imagine why anyone would dismiss such a masterpiece as merely average!

Growing increasingly bored as you wait for your contact to show up, and increasingly curious about the strange painting, one of you reaches up and touches the surface of the paint...

[Recruitment currently closed]

Re: MotBM

Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 9:11 pm
by NotStickFigures
Pre-touching the painting....Which Art is not going to do....


Art, keeps alert and stays near the main doorway of the nearly empty gallery.

He is well armored dwarf. Wearing shiny and well kept splint mail, a small shield on his back and carrying some large weapons.
His hair, beard, and armor are still looking good after this job. It appears he takes care of how he looks and carries himself.

Looking over the others waiting he says to no one in particular, "Does anyone know how long we are going to have to wait here for our contact?" He keeps his gravelly voice quieter than usual, but anyone nearby should easily have heard him.

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 7:53 am
by Dusk9
While Art hangs out in the doorway, Warryn loiters further near the back of the room, standing a fair distance from the rest of the group. And while Art looks like a walking armoury, the reclusive gnome doesn't appear to have a weapon on him. Rustling through an old, beat-up leather book, he barely reacts to Art's question - though it's hard to tell whether that's because he doesn't hear, or just doesn't care enough to respond.

Re: MotBM

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:44 am
by Lurks_In_Shadows
:chuckle:
((Okay, my guy will do the stupid. It'd be in character for him anyway...))

Dain studies the painting as the moon hits it. It's still an ugly work, but it's colors brighten in the light and the details become sharper. In fact, it almost looks like the figure is...moving....

"Hey, guys? Is it my imagination or is this painting starting to move?" He cautiously reaches up and touches the corner....

Re: MotBM

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:07 am
by spiderwrangler
((Heh, I'll not fight you for it, but it would have been in character for mine too!))

Re: MotBM

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 5:58 pm
by M0rtimer
Aura meanwhile "lurked" in a corner of the room, some food she took with her to "celebrate" the heist next to her... Just a moment ago she seemed all smiles and congratulating everyone... But now she was almost brooding, eyes moving from person to person as if she was "investigating" them... She didn't really do much in the actual heist herself, taking more of the role of a "coordinator", perhaps... Having arranged for this place to safely stash the painting until it were to be sold, and using her position to make sure that the right kind of people had the wrong kind of information. Otherwise, she didn't really look like she belonged- A cleric among, well...

(I'll select what my spells for the day would have been tomorrow...)

Re: MotBM

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 6:15 pm
by spiderwrangler
Ah'sereen sighs softy to herself. Things went... reasonably well... but she's not used to doing a job and then hanging around with everyone afterward. Better to do the job, secure the target, then go their separate ways... this waiting is getting tiresome... that Aura keeps looking in her direction with a scowl...

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 6:25 pm
by thinkslogically
Touching Stuff

The group wait around for a while. Then a while longer. It's boring.

Everntually growing tired of waiting, Dain wanders over to the painting for a closer look. The woman in the painting has remarkable eyes. He wonders why he never noticed them earlier... She looks desperate, almost pleading as he raises a hand to touch the canvas, and then the room turns inside-out.

Your ears pop as the pressure inside your head equilibriates.

In the centre of the room is a naked, shackled woman. On the wall behind you is a painting of the room you were all just standing in. In the north wall, there is a door. Otherwise, the room is bare, save for an iron brazier in the corner of the room that keeps it only slightly too warm for comfort.

The woman stares at you in turn, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"Please", she begs, "Please set me free!"

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► Show Spoiler

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 7:24 pm
by spiderwrangler
"What. The. Fork."Ah'sereen is really regretting not splitting as soon as the heist was done...

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:36 pm
by NotStickFigures
"Huh?" Art obviously is very confused. He stands still for a several seconds looking at the woman and then back to the painting that is now on the wall. He rubs his eyes and then looks at the painting again. "Must be a nasty magic trick." he states as he gets his greataxe into his hands. He entirely ignores the chained woman and will walk to the doorway and staying on the side, peek his head around to look through the doorway

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 8:41 pm
by thinkslogically
The doorway has a door in it. It is doing an excellent job of blocking his view.

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 9:29 pm
by NotStickFigures
Door, doorway, he knew he was confused yet...
He will stay near the closed door and just wait to see how the others react to whatever is going on before he says anything.

He looks at the woman, is she human or what race? Does she appear injured or just shackled?

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 9:39 pm
by thinkslogically
She does appear to be nominally human. Maybe slightly elven?

((I'll take a knowledge check of your choice to see if you know more))

Re: MotBM

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 10:02 pm
by Lurks_In_Shadows
Dain has a startled expression on his face. He looks at the woman, then the painting. "Spork."

He starts thinking about some of the rumors he's heard about this painting.

arcana: 1D20+6 = [8]+6 = 14

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:31 am
by Dusk9
Focused intently on his book, it takes Warryn a few moments to realise anything has changed. When he does notice, however, he reacts instantly - pulling out a dagger from the folds of his cloak, and keeping his back firmly against the wall, he glares at the others with open hostility and suspicion. Recognising that some kind of magic had obviously been cast, he tries to figure out what had happened. What was this, an illusion? Teleportation?

Arcana: 8

It must have been that dwarf. The wizard. He knew he shouldn't have trusted this! Glaring at Dain, Warryn shouts in the dwarf's direction, a thrust of the knife punctuating each word.

"What. Did. You. DO!?"

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:00 am
by M0rtimer
Aura blinks a couple times as everything just... Change around them. Disoriented for a couple moments, hand cautiously moving to the holstered mace for a moment just in case... Before just huffing at all the responses that were showing. Most pointedly ignoring a cry for help, beginning to investigate for a way out, waving a dagger around dangerously, or just standing around in confusion... That last one, she might understand.

She touches her holy symbol for a bit, trying to catch both Warryn and the woman in a "calm emotions" spell- Given the general mood of the room, it probably would be more of a boon than a curse if anyone else was caught, too, although those were the only ones she wanted to "keep cool"... The former because she had reason to be upset, the latter because he needed to be calm. She approaches, investigating by what means the girl is bound, while trying to garner some information...

"Easy, I'll get you out... What's going on here? Do you know where we are, or who did this to you?"

Insight: 1D20+6 = [1]+6 = 7

Well, that's a great start! :roll:

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:22 am
by spiderwrangler
"Awww spoons." Ah'sereen curses softly, crossing over to the woman in the middle of the room.

"Hold still. Who are you? Who put you here?"

Ah'sereen smiles reassuringly while inspecting the woman's shackles (are they a familiar design, age, quality, difficulty to pick, etc.).

Investigation: Shackles: 1D20+2 = [5]+2 = 7
► Show Spoiler

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 4:32 am
by Dusk9
CHA Saving Throw: 2D20.HIGH(1)+1 = [16, 16]+1 = 17

Warryn shakes off Aura's spell easily, barely noticing the effects. What he does notice is her waving her hand and chanting in his direction. Paranoia ramping up, he starts pointing the dagger in her direction too.

"What was that!? What did you cast? You're both in on this, aren't you!"
► Show Spoiler

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 5:45 am
by Lurks_In_Shadows
Dain glares at Warryn. "Shut up you bloody idiot! I'm trying to remember what rumors I've heard about that painting and you're distracting me! Put that bloody knife away, pay attention to business, and stop making so much forking noise! You're gonna bring her guards down on us!"

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 5:57 am
by M0rtimer
Aura let's out a sigh, giving Warryn just a momentary glance.

"It's called 'calm emotions'... And I was not even really aiming for you- I just want to put our guest at ease, but our dwarf might be right in that you'd need it more..!" she says, briefly, before putting her attention back to the woman.

Persuasion: 1D20+6 = [3]+6 = 9

Man have I mentioned how much I love how the dice love me guys.

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:27 am
by NotStickFigures
Insight: 1D20+2 = [1]+2 = 3 (Ha! My first roll of the game...a great fail. Glad it wasn't all that important.)

Art, with a strained whisper, which comes out strange with his gravelly voice, and a pained look on his face states quickly, "Dain is right. Everyone needs to be quiet, and calmer. If we were teleported to some dungeon, we are not safe. And we probably have enemies other then ourselves."

He takes a few steps towards the shackled woman and asks, again in a whisper, "Are their guards in the next room?"

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:37 am
by Dusk9
"Shut up you bloody idiot! I'm trying to remember what rumors I've heard about that painting and you're distracting me! Put that bloody knife away, pay attention to business, and stop making so much forking noise! You're gonna bring her guards down on us!"

"It's called 'calm emotions'... And I was not even really aiming for you- I just want to put our guest at ease, but our dwarf might be right in that you'd need it more..!"

Warryn bites his tongue as another accusation rises in his throat. The dwarf was right - this was some kind of cell. Which meant guards were likely. And as much as he might distrust these fools, they hadn't done anything outright aggressive towards him....yet.

Sheathing the knife, he refreshes the Nondetection charm on himself - more out of habit than anything else - and lets the others continue what they were doing with the woman. If anyone would be able to enlighten them on what was happening, it was probably her.

- Nondetection: The target can't be targeted by any divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors. [Duration: 8hrs]

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:14 am
by spiderwrangler
CHA save: 1D20+2 = [3]+2 = 5

"It's called 'calm emotions'... And I was not even really aiming for you-"


Insight: Was Aura trying to influence him?: 1D20+9 = [1]+9 = 10 (except I can't roll under an 8 when sniffing out lies, so that's a 17. 8) )

Ah'sereen gives Aura calm look. She was totally trying to get the gnome to calm down too, but Ah'sereen can't get mad about that. It's allllll gooooood....

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:48 am
by thinkslogically
Art looks the woman over. She certainly looks human.

Ah'Sereen moves forwards and checks over the shackles. They just look like normal shackles. There's a keyhole on each one, and the chains lead up to a circular bolt in the ceiling.

Dain tries to think. A portal within the terrible painting would certainly explain how something so ugly could keep its value for so long. ...but a portal to what? Whatever it is must be enough to offset the exorbitant costs of the painting, surely?

Warryn starts freaking out, to which Aura responds with magic. It doesn't calm him down.

Ah'Sereen feels a wave of magic rush over her from Aura and is about to comment when she realises she doesn't care. She turns her attention back to the prisoner.

The woman doesn't react to the spell either, but it's not clear whether she was simply unaffected by it, or was already indifferent to you.

To Aura and Ah'Sereen:
"Please! I am just a poor slave, cursed to guard the entrance to a terrible creature's lair! She... She is a monster! A medusa! Please, set me free from this awful place! I can't bear to be here a moment longer! There are more of us inside, you must help them!"

She grasps the robes at Aura's waist, tears beginning to run down her face.

Re: MotBM

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:13 am
by M0rtimer
Aura nods pretty much instantly, giving a gentle smile. "Of course... Let's get you out of these chains first, though- Everything is going to be alright." Aura says, looking to undo her bindings if she can- Or look to what they'd need if she can not.

"Now, we will be able to use every little bit of info you can give us... What do you mean, you are supposed to guard the entrance? Are there hostiles nearby we should worry about?"

Persuasion: 1D20+6 = [13]+6 = 19

She also prepares guidance, because she's probably gonna need it in the next minute.
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