Café de Nuit

Lia feels a faint pressure on those twitching fingers. If she looks to her left, she'll see Tomas returning a recent favor, having gently taken her hand in his and giving it a discrete squeeze. He looks vaguely apologetic, but can't afford to show too much weakness in front of certain parties, least of all the boatman.

Lia nods slightly at Tomas. Her fingers return to stillness ... but the look she casts on the boatman is rather intense.

(OOC: Using Arcana on the boatman and his vessel, just in case. Roll of 20.)

Docks, Quartier Marchand, Port-a-Lucine; Night of March 24th, 770
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Tomas wrote:"Graben!" Tomas snaps his fingers, "That's where that accent's from, ja? A wonderfully courteous people, best kidnapping I've ever experienced!"

"Oho! Been-you to Graben?" the boatman asked, making friendly chatter. "I am not into kidnapping myself, but I'm glad you fhound it pleasant. Looks like you escaped, though. Where were they taking you?"

Agale wrote:Agale gave the sailor an incredulous look and shook his head. "Four solars for the lot of us, take it or leave it. Now, if you decide to take it, I won't insult both of us by offering a premium for your discretion. I will however compensate you another two in a tenday if you'll produce a list of whomever comes buying your loose tongue later."

The boatman gave a good-hearted laugh, both at Agale and the people so eager to be ripped off by him.

"Fhourty silvers, then, I only take silvers. It is good to see you all have someone to look out for you. No hard feelings, yeah?" he asked sounding genuinely concerned about it. "Sometimes my greed runs off with me. Watch your step in the boat, it is a tricky balance. The water is very cold, you do not want to fall in." He offered his hand to anyone who would take it, helping them onto the swaying boat. "Care for a nut? There's a crate of them by the fhront, and I think a wheel of cheese. Free of charge. Help yourselves."

He gave Agale a grin as he untied the boat from the dock. "Oho, are people going to be looking fhor you? I will keep the boat fast and quiet fhor you, then. Off we go!"

The boatman took what looked less like an oar, and looked more like a Richemuloise river-boat pole, and pushed off from the pier. The boat glided out into the ocean as if it were gliding onto a calm lake, skimming across the waves as smoothly as a skater on ice. Despite the fact that the boatman appeared to be rowing with a paddleless pole, and not rowing terribly often - indeed, he seemed far more concerned with the tiller than the oar, and even then usually would just lean on it casually - the boat was moving with an amazing speed. Had you truly just been tourists, as you had claimed, it still would have been a worth experience.

The Archeron, Parnault Bay, Port-a-Lucine; Night of March 24th, 770
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The Archeron, hardly an enticing sight at a distance, did not improve as you approached. It was a skeletal assortment of masts and spars, looking like nothing so much as a set of decaying trees. The sails were furled and the gunports closed, and the ship swayed gently to the tune of wave and wind. No one hailed you as you approached, nor did you see any lights on board the ship.

"I shall what fhor you till morning." The boatman said quietly, his black eyes reflecting the moonlight. He moved his little boat up to the side of the Archeron. This close up, the ship was tall.

"Thank you." Richard said, looking up at the vessel. He picked up his knotted rope. "I can probably hook the, the end around one of the, the capstan."

"Or, I can, just fhor you, open a gunport." The boatman suggested, reaching out with his pole and prying open one of the vessel's gunports. "Then you can enter fast and quiet."

Alright, here's the deal. If you wish to sneak aboard the ship, the group as a whole will need to make a stealth check. Failed stealth checks will not hurt you, but the majority of the group (that is, five of you) need to succeed in order to escape detection. If you don't want to roll Stealth, you can Aid Another someone else (DC 10 to give someone else +2). Each of you only gets one roll, unless you choose to reroll, so keep that in mind. Neither of the two NPCs are trained in stealth, so they cannot assist.

Richard can toss his grappling hook up on the deck, which will require a DC 20 stealth check to sneak across. Alternatively, the boatman can pry open one of the gunports, which reduces the check to DC 15. However, if you are caught sneaking in via the gunports, you are going to have a harder time bluffing your way out of the situation.

If you want to abandon the sneaking route all-together, you can just yell out or climb up the boat side.

Agale gives Richard a nod. Once the grapnel was firmly in place, the Borcan whispered under his breath. "Etiquette would suggest 'ladies first' but in this situation I think it pragmatic that whomever the highest proclivity for remaining unseen progress first."

Based on the OOC thread.. this means Cyrus?

Cyrus shook his head and pointed at the gunport.

"Through there," he murmured. "It will be easier for you."

Once the boatman had the port open, the dommer climbed through. He placed one hand on the hilt of his sword and scanned the area, just in case something lay in wait.

Stupid crap stealth roll. 16.

Oh, and look, I get another great Perception roll. 27. Because Perception is apparently the only damn roll I am allowed to make with this stupid character

Also I have low-light vision.

Once satisifed all was clear, the Hazlani stuck his head back out the port and waved the others in.

Kerrian didn't quite trust his chances with being stealthy on the rope, so the gunport it was. This felt suspiciously like breaking and entering, mostly because it was...but still, the spirit that was instructing him how to move didn't feel entirely hostile.

OOC:Stealth check of 16

Lia says nothing; she just rises from her seat in silence and moves through the gunport so smoothly it's almost as if she slithers in. Inside, she whispers to Cyrus: "Should I make light?"

(OOC: Stealth check: 20.)

Agale's slight frame ascended the rope next. He pivots off the Acheron's hull before slipping in through the gun port as well.

Stealth 22 (I'm sorry for sucking up the good rolls)

Darius just grabs the edge of the gunport and heaves himself through in a single motion, which works out much better (and more quietly) than he had any right to expect. Standing, he turns to examine the...gun deck, presumably. He's never been on a ship before and has only the vaguest idea of how they're laid out, although it would make sense that cargo be stowed low and along the midline of the ship. The keel, that's what they call it.

"Not yet," he mutters to Lia, tapping his glasses on the off-chance she can see him.

19 on the stealth check. Perception 25, because the Isfahanis notice everything! I also have low-light vision.

The Archeron, Parnault Bay, Port-a-Lucine; Night of March 24th, 770
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The cabin you emerged in, such as it was, could just barely contain the lot of you. It wasn't really meant for a large number of people, instead containing a single small cannon on rollers, and a wide variety of accoutrements for artillery. Spare cannonballs in their canisters, carefully stored gunpowder, tools for cleaning the cannon, as well as a good few spare parts.

It was dead quiet. Your entrance, as near as could be discerned, had gone unnoticed, and the cabin door opened without a sound.

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The corridor you entered seemed to run the length of the vessel, terminating in a set of stairs at the end of the corridor. It was well lit, though not with flames or candles but with glowing orbs of magelight inside glass cylinders. The entire vessel reminded you a bit more of an ocean-going building than it did of a ship, with broad passageways and stairs as opposed to rope ladders. But then, it was a very large ship.

The other end of the corridor ended in another gunport room, also with a cannon. But it was between those two end points that you found something interesting. As you creeped along the corridor, you came across large, oaken doors, four of them. They were locked, rather stoutly at that, but you had a certain singular advantage there. You had keys.

Behind the four, large doors you found holds, large ones. The collections from the Guignol Museum.

The first door on your right was a Kartakan room. It was easily identifiable by the large piano that stood in the middle of the room, a grand piano that even the redoubtable Professor Petrik would've given a sniff of approval to. There were other things in here as well, large boxes and wooden crates, a variety of musical instruments, tapestries, and the masterpiece of the collection, a wood carving the size of a small tree, carved in the shape of a flock of birds taking flight.

Directly opposite the Kartakan room was a room that was swathed in cloth sheets, to keep the dust off and such. This room was mostly furniture, chairs, tables, armoires, but even at a glance you could tell that it was old, Dementlieuse furniture. This was the Dementlieuse exhibit, the same, ill-fated one from which the Sword of Leon had disappeared from.

Further along, the locks clicking open with ease in the face of Latour's keys, was a Darkonian room. It was a grim and forboding place, marked with statues of black stone and metal. A hissing dragon crouched at the far end, a black dragon with malice in its eyes. Nearby was a pack of hounds, and a knight in armor stood nearby. Somewhat more curiously, there was a work table in a shadowed corner of the room, complete with tools.

The final room was one that two of your party were intimately familiar with. As soon as the key turned in the lock and the door opened, you could all see the glitter of Akiri gold. Coins and statues, sphinxes and treasure chests, all taken from the burning deserts of Har'Akir. Here Tomas could see one of the heavy obeslisks from the front of the tomb, there Lia spotted the ceremonial spears they had carried Edmund Harris out with. And towering over it all, with grey, judgemental eyes, was Anubis himself. The huge stone statue stared out into the hallway, ancient and unmoving. Richard gave a sharp intake of breath as you opened the door, even as Cerise let out a low, appreciative whistle.

Alright! Pick a room and make a Perception Check! The more people make checks (or aid another), the faster you'll find something interesting, so hop to it. You have Kartakan, Dementlieuse, Darkonian, and Har'Akiri rooms to examine. You may also just remain in the corridor, of course.

At first he attributed it to an acute case of sea sickness. Surely the swaying of the ship and this dark enclosed space were to blame. Agale stumbled a few steps in the dark before grabing the rough wood of the hallway to steady himself. He shakes his head as though there were an irritating insect to be dislodged then takes several deep breaths in metered succession.

I'll take the Kartakass Room for $400, Alex! Check result 22.

Darius enters the first room on the right, padding to the piano and looking within the sound box, circling the fantastically detailed wood carving once, inspecting it as if he might be hungry for a bird himself, and then turning his attention to the other boxes, testing to see which are open and looking quickly over their contents.

The less said about how Eisenwald got on the ship, the better.

(The phrase, "Mine tucchus!" was exclaimed, but fortunately Tomas sounds a lot like a seagull when in pain.)

Tomas blinks once, twice, resists the urge to draw his sword and cut the statue in half. He takes a moment, breathes, counts to ten in his head, and dedicates that aggression towards searching for clues instead. Okay maybe he does give the statue a dirty look or two, but can you blame him?

(OOC: 1d20+5
19+5 = 24, for the Akiri room.)

Celeste, against all odds, actually made it down the hall without talking once. Thankfully for all concerned, she had chosen sensible flats for this particular expedition; thus, though she didn't appear to be particularly concerned with stealth (favoring a sort of wide-eyed excitement at the fact that she was actually sneaking onto a ship), she didn't actually make much noise as she walked.

The sight of the Dementlieuse exhibit--right there for the critical observation and rifling-through--prompted a gleeful double-take and a lot of enthusiastic pointing. Within half a second, Celeste was deep amidst the objets d'art, immersed in rapturous up-close contemplation.

20 on a Perception check!

Kerrian joined Celeste in looking over the plundered wealth of Dementlieu's culture, looking for anything of interest. Half expecting really to find the Mirror while he was poking and peering about. Though even if it wasn't anything as important...still, artistic treasures were artistic treasures.

"I...just realized. What if the university is trying to get things out, in case things get worse, not wanting things to be destroyed". It was a thought expressed quietly, almost a funerary hush as he poked about, looking for something that stood out.

OOC:Perception check result of 20