IC The Thirteenth Moon: Night of the Blood Moon

[sblock=OOC]Gonna move things along here and make a few assumptions. I assume you attempt the peaceful entry method. No one appears to have Open Lock as a skill so we will go with Alise's suggestion of knocking. Since Brad is the OIC (Officer In Charge), he will be the one doing the knocking. And since you know already that someone is behind the west door on the second floor, that one will be your point of entry. If someone wants to stand watch over the east doors (which can be done from either the ground floor or second floor), just let me know; otherwise, I assume all of you will be coming through the west door.

There is a lot of information in this post. Much of it is redundant, but I wanted to give you multiple means of finding it. You may also come up with other ideas and/or uses for skills. Feel free to run with them as well.[/sblock]Brad pulls out the warrant to keep it handy and knocks on the western door where the man was seen with many books. He calls out, "Sharn Watch! Open up! We have a warrant for inspection of this tower."[sblock=Listen DC 10]You hear much scuffling and moving about inside.[sblock=Listen DC 15]You can make out what clearly sounds to be the moving of furniture.[sblock=Listen DC 20]There is whispered conversation behind the door, probably no more than two voices.[sblock=Listen DC 30]Voice 1: "Why is the Sharn Watch here?"
Voice 2: "How should I know? Hurry, let's conceal this passage. Maybe they won't find it."
Voice 1: "Move that bookcase in front of it."
Voice 2: "Remember, I was never here."[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/sblock]After waiting nearly a minute, you are preparing to break the door down when you hear the sound of a dead bolt being opened followed by the click of a lock being undone. A timid man in his late 40s opens the door. He is small of stature and dressed in night clothes. He carries a lantern with a strong and steady flame. Behind him is an office with papers, scrolls, and books strewn about in haphazard fashion. Several shelves hold numerous books, scrolls and velum folders. "My apologies, Officer, but you startled me half to death. I was just about to put away for the evening. You don't mind if I see that warrant do you?"

Brad hands the man the warrant as he steps inside. The man inspects the warrant with spectacles on over the lantern light and shows no signs of resistance as you enter the office to look around. Aside from the mess, you note that many of the books and papers lying about are texts concerning astrological phenomena, showing moon phases, constellation movements, and other such observations. There is a single exit from the office, a staircase which leads upward.[sblock=Arcana DC 10 or Bardic Knowledge DC 15]Much of the information lying about seems to correlate the full convergence event of the moon Zarantyr with the constellation Io and its zenith. This is apparently a rare astrological event.[sblock=Arcana DC 15 or Bardic Knowledge DC 20]Zarantyr commonly has a partial convergence with the constellation Io, but a full convergence is scheduled to begin in two days, on the 3rd day of the month of Zarantyr. The convergence will last for approximately 8 hours, arriving at its zenith in the 3rd hour, around 10 PM. The last time this happened was 47 years ago.[sblock=Arcana DC 20 or Bardic Knowledge DC 30]At the moment of the zenith of Zarantyr's convergence with Io, many astrologists predict a profound scientific or magical discovery will be made.[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Search DC 10]There is literature covering every flat surface in the room. The place is extraordinarily messy. Many of the books appear closed and scrolls wound up, but you find one which lies open to a picture of a blood red moon. The book is written in a strange script. A note has been added and scrawled along the top in Common. Kharesk, is written in large lettering with smaller notes below, Mark: Death, Dragon: Unknown, referred to as "Crya" in Giantish.[sblock=If you can read Giantish or cast comprehend languages.]The text speaks of the moon Crya, which is said to no longer be in orbit around Eberron. According to the text, it was destroyed sometime during the Giant Wars with the Quori.[sblock=The Planes DC 15 or Bardic Knowledge DC 20]The Quori are natives of Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. Quori spirits cannot manifest physically on the Material Plane.[sblock=The Planes DC 20 or Bardic Knowledge DC 25]Quori spirits typically possess mental powers relativng to a specific emotion, such as fear or rage. They can interefere with the dreams of mortals, creating horrible nightmares.[sblock=The Planes DC 25 or Bardic Knowledge DC 30]The Inspired have a strong tie to Dal Quor. Some believe that they deal regularly with Quori spirits--or even allow these spirits to possess their bodies in exchange for power. While Quori spirits cannot physically manifest on Eberron, they can possess willing humans.[sblock=The Planes DC 30]The "divine spirits" guiding the Inspired might actually be Quori.[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Bardic Knowledge or History DC 15]The Quori invaded Eberron during the Age of Giants some 40,000 years ago. Although the giants ultimately drove the Quori away, the giant civilization was decimated by the war.[sblock=Bardic Knowledge or History DC 20]The giants used draconic magic to defeat the Quori. There are stories of an artifact called the "Moon-Breaker," which was used to defeat the Quori.[sblock=Bardic Knowledge or History DC 25]Many scholars believe the Moon-Breaker was responsible for the destruction of Crya, the thirteenth moon.[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Search DC 15]Some of the closed books and scrolls have markers that open up to more information about the thirteenth moon and the zenith of Zarantyr and Io. Most of these texts are in Giantish with notes scribbled alongside in Common.[sblock=Search DC 20]Behind one of the bookcases you see signs of creases along the wall. There is a moveable wall (secret door) behind this bookcase.[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Sense Motive DC 20]You get a hunch that the man is very nervous about something. There is something here he does not want you to find.[sblock=Diplomacy or Intimidate base DC 23 (may be modified by Risk vs. Reward judgment)]The man squeals as he reveals there is a hidden passage behind a bookcase on the wall. All he knows is that a group of five or six individuals led by a short elf with a strange tattoo on his face is using it to hide and he does not know why. Feel free to roleplay this man's reaction in your post if you succeed on this check.[/sblock][/sblock]

Alise listens at the door as Brad knocks but gets distracted by commotion in the distance.

After the door has opened she listens to the older man speak.

"That's not quite true is it? Your hiding something. I can tell. We already have the warrant. It either comes out in the investigation, or you tell us now. Surely things will go easier on you if you cooperate."

The man briefly hesitates when Alise alleges he is hiding something, but regains his composure and states quite promptly, "Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. Go ahead. Look around. Feel free to go upstairs and harass my tenants even! You have my full cooperation."[sblock=Sense Motive DC 10]The man is not so subtly insinuating offense at the very notion that he could be hiding something and even suggesting that your meddling could get you in trouble. You are in the wealthy part of town after all. This fellow and his tenants may have influence. Then again, they may simply be middle class folks and the thinly veiled threat could be completely empty.[/sblock]

Berrent

Berrent steps inside with the rest of the party. He immediately walks across the office and starts looking up the stairs. "Full cooperation, eh?," He turns around and starts looking at the feet of the furniture around the walls of the room. "So how about we start with you telling us which furniture you were moving around after we knocked. Or you can skip straight to telling us where the secret door was that you moved the furniture to block." He looks directly at the man with the lantern. "Also, it will be helpful if you tell us the names of the people who were in this room when we knocked." He leans in close to the man. "Full cooperation, remember?"

Dorius enters the room, scribbling shorthand in his notebook.

[sblock=ooc]Thank you everyone for your patience with my school schedule. Now to continue![/sblock]The man begins to slowly and purposefully step closer and closer in front of a book case. Berrent notes scratch marks on the floor in front of the book case curving outward from the book case's corner.

"Uh, hu... other people in the room?" the man quavers. "Why whatever do you mean? It is only me here, whiling the night away with my nose stuck in a book. My tenants have all long since gone to bed. Of course, you are free to peruse the ledger for their names if you wish," he twitters, pointing a shaking hand towards a large book sitting alone on a far shelf.[sblock=Sense Motive DC 10]The man is clearly very nervous about something and took a startle when Berrent mentioned the secret door and people being in the room with him before your party entered.[sblock=Sense Motive DC 20]You get a hunch that the book shelf in front of which the man is standing is the very piece of furniture that Berrent heard moving before you entered the room.[/sblock][/sblock]

[sblock=Note about Risk vs. Reward Judgment]I just thought I might mention this since there seems to be a good deal of insinuation going on and it isn't really necessary to avoid being direct seeing as you have the legal documentation to conduct an investigation. There are a number of things you might offer this fellow to lower the DC via the Risk vs. Reward Judgment if you want to avoid an altercation. You could offer him a lighter sentence, maybe just a fine, in exchange for cooperation or perhaps complete immunity to prosecution. The latter you might not be able to guarantee (which may require a Bluff check), but there are other things you could offer aside from bribery. You might even offer not to report him at all (such an act would probably not sit well with lawful characters, but it is certainly within your means). Your characters seem to be holding most of the cards. There are a number of ways to approach this.[/sblock]

"Check the bookcase guys"

Alise thinkings to her training in school, she reached out with her mind trying to find the little spot in this man's brain that rules over his perception of her. All it would take is a subtle touch to make her seem friendly.



"Look you know you can trust me, this isn't about you. You've just got caught up in all this, look I'm sure there may be some minor charges or a fine but if you play along maybe not even that. If you don't, you'll be a co-conspiritor, you'll be just as much to blame as the people your hiding. I don't want that, you don't want that. Let's just try to get this evening over in the way that's best for all of us."