Akos nods
"Thank you, Evered. We'll leave you to your duties and we won't task your manservants too much. Assure your lady we will be clean and ready."
Once he goes away he pulls everyone inside one of the rooms.
"Let's mend the clothes first, give your best clothes to the servants to wash, they can wash traveling clothes later. I will dress as a priest."
OOC: casting a series of mending spells until everyone's cuts, holes, and other little shabbiness disappear.
Evered acknowledges Akos with a final bow before leaving to attend to the rest of the manor house.
While it takes some time, the Loremaster is able to mend the clothes of the rest of the Exemplars. Once Akos finishes with one of his ally's clothes, they head off to choose a room and clean themselves and prepare for the evening meal. The two footmen help the Exemplars with any request.
Big Tim finds the room he chooses to be lavish and large enough for him to feel comfortable without it being excessively spacious. Except for the gaudy décor, the room reminds him of his personal quarters back on his home world. He strips down and goes to see if there is a bathtub large enough for him. Instead, he finds that the manor has an expansive room dedicated to bathing in several deep pools. The baths are attended to by three washing matrons and a young lad who works vigorously to keep the room clean. The walls of the room are covered in frescoes that go all the way up to the ceiling.
Falen asks Akos to fix his garments after Tim's. Once the Loremaster is done, Falen is glad to get into his own room and strip off his grimy clothing. The smell of dead spiders and the temporal dungeon still clings to him and his clothing. He heads off for the baths after securing his items in his
handy haversack, which he hides in the room by disguising it from casual observation.
He finds Big Tim already in the baths being scrubbed down by two of the matrons.
While the unseen seer is loathe to go to dinner without his armor and weapons, he has little in the way of legerdemain to conceal his meteoric knife on his person. Instead, he dresses in his scholarly clothes, jams the lock leading into his room, and gathers with Akos and the others after bathing.
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OOC:
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@Aust Thale:
Falen uses the Disguise skill to make his handy haversack blend into the background of the room. This comes from pp. 106-107 of the Rules Compendium under Disguising Objects. In order for anyone to find Falen's haversack in his room, they must make a successful Search check.
Since Falen doesn't have any ranks in Sleight of Hand, he will not attempt to hide his meteoric knife or his spell component pouch on himself.
He also jams the lock to his room...
Falen - Disable Device (Jam a Lock) (DC 10):
1D20+10 = [12]+10 = 22
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Tuck is ill at ease in the enormous mansion. Both the opulent luxury and the large, open rooms make the kobold urban ranger anxious, and he misses Mutt by his side.
Instead of taking a room to stay in, Tuck asks for a place among the servants, such as a kitchen niche or a broom closet. He undresses quickly, hands his rags to a servant for washing despite Akos' magical mending and cleansing, then still naked packs as much of his belongings as possible into his magical haversack. He places his weapons in the corner of his small place, then takes a lock and key to seal off his personal space later. After several moments of hesitation, the kobold takes out a vial of acid from his haversack, unstops the cork, then balances it carefully over the door.
Before closing the door behind him, he looks at his handiwork. His pack can function as a pillow, his weapons are far away from the door to be just outside easy reach, and a trap is set above the door. Satisfied, he places the lock on the door and takes the key with him.
Now wearing nothing but that key on a ring on his finger, Tuck makes his way to the bath. He seems oblivious that being naked is not usual for the other races, until he sees the servants' upset looks. Apologizing, the kobold quickly takes a towel and wraps it around himself; the size of the towel meaning that only his head and the tips of his clawed toes are uncovered by the soft white sheet.
Akos fixes Tuck's clothing next before moving on to Sir Breva and then finally Custodio and Vinny. One by one, each of you chooses a room and prepares to bathe. The footmen gather up all of the soiled garments and heave them towards the manor's laundry.
"It will take some time to clean everything," Ivor says to them with a bow. "We will try to finish before supper begins. Take your time in the bath, good sirs."
Tuck finds that only the footmen are put off by his nakedness. The matrons aren't put off by him or any of the other Exemplars who appear in the baths without a towel. It seems they have seen much in their time. They do find themselves quickly outnumbered by the Exemplars and are amused by the 'smell of the road' coming off of them.
"Did you all roll in the muck," one of the matrons laughs. "You all smell like a muddy gully."
"Dead spider guts," Custodio says. The Vanquisher cleric cleans himself in a shallow side pool.
"And other things."
Another one of the matrons heads out of the room to bring in reinforcements from the manor's short-staffed servants. She returns with two demure housemaids and an annoyed page boy. They are set to work scrubbing any grime from the room's floors and the edge of the baths, as well as opening a window and a set of double doors to allow fresh air to circulate into the room. The room is connected to a large garden on one side and a open courtyard on the other.
Akos is the last to enter the baths. He finds his companions either washing themselves in one of the side pools or being scrubbed by one of the scantily clad matrons. The baths smell of soap and other heady scents mixed with sweat, grime, and blood. The water of the main pool seems crystal clear even with the castoff from the other Exemplars. Probably a magical effect that purifies the water. The magic does not purify the air, however, and the Loremaster is glad for the open widow into the garden and doors into the courtyard.
JustinCase said:
After some small talk, Tuck tries to engage the bath servants in conversation about their lives and troubles. He is particularly watching their comings and goings, hoping to locate the inevitable hidden passages that servants everywhere tend to use.
If he spots such a passage, Tuck will later explore it before evening supper, where he intends to be present with only his simple attire, the key to his little corner of the house, and a dagger hidden in the leg of his trousers.
Tuck doesn't note any sign of hidden passages leading out of the baths by the coming and goings of the servants. The matrons are happy to chat up the kobold and anyone else who wishes to converse with them. The other servants keep busy in the background. They are less amiable except for one housemaid, named Orchid, who ends up helping Vinny scrub the dirt and sweat off. She is soon laughing at his jokes.
The matrons confirm to Tuck that the Lord Aceron is, indeed, away in the city of Ambris. "Lord Azel often goes to the City at the Pines for business... and pleasure. He has a mistress there," the youngest matron, Norah, says. "Lady Talitha knows but doesn't seem to care, as long as he comes home after his trysts." She whispers in Tuck's ear. "Milady may have her own lover. None of us know for sure, but we suspect she has had at least one liaison with another noble."
"Life here is good," the middle matron says casually for all to here. (Her name is Bessie.) "Lady Talitha is a fair lady and she never mistreats us. Her sons aren't as kind but she keeps them in check. Lord Nathaniel can say cruel things but his mother doesn't let him get away with being physically cruel. Lord Jadon is lost in his own world of books and spells. He rarely says anything to anyone and doesn't let the chambermaids clean his room. Strangely, Lord Talitha's sons are better behaved without their father around."
Robina, the oldest of the matron, concentrates on getting
all of Tim clean. She tells him about her life and that she's been working for the Acerons for nearly 30 years. "I've seen the best and the worst of them. Lady Rhouth was definitely the best of them. She ran away as soon as she was able to swing a sword and fire a bow. Her mother wishes to find her, but I fear that girl has run off to the east and will never return."
She scrubs Tim's back (and a bit lower), humming to herself. "I wish I could say the Acerons are kind souls. As Bessie has said, they are fair people who do not hold back wages and Lord Azel pays more than some. Of course, that is because the Acerons have more than most of their peers. Not they have the wealth of The Five or other old bloodlines of Old City. Their family wealth isn't due to adamantine. They grow grapes and make excellent wine, which they export to Ambris, High Morria, and the Eastwatch Barony. Sometimes as far as Oakenvale and Vinovia in the north."
The matrons continue to wash the Exemplars and tend to any cuts and bruises. They apply salves to those who are willing and bandage any wounds that have not closed completely. The noise from the baths turns raucous and Evered comes to investigate. He is surprised by what he sees and claps his hands to put the servants in their place. One of the housemaids scurries out of the central bath. She had been scrubbing Vinny down from head to toe. The matrons glare at the butler. It seems he doesn't have complete control of the manor house's servants.
"I would hate to have to tell Ms. Blagg of your behavior when she returns with Lord Aceron from Ambris," Evered chastises loudly. "Now, they are
more than clean enough! I have other things for you to do! Move!"
The matrons head out of the room along with the rest of the servants. Evered leaves the Exemplars alone in the baths. He closes the double doors behind him. Tuck notes a wry smile on the man's face just before the doors close.
One by one, you all head back to your rooms and then, once again, gather together in the room that Akos has chosen. It is the cleanest that you all have been since being brought together.
Tuck explores the guest wing more carefully, looking for secret passages and hidden rooms. He finds an old safe built into a wall behind a dusty painting. It doesn't look like it been opened in ages. He also comes across a small hidden cloak room behind a grand piano. It looks to be used for storage, but there isn't anything worth taking -- old garments that have seen better days. He doesn't find any hidden passages out of the small closet.
Tuck finds a hidden passage that goes down on a winding metal staircase. It is in a gaudy games room with a billiard table. The passage is extremely dusty and full of cobwebs. It looks completely unused. As the kobold urban ranger peers down into the darkness, his scales itch.
Neurotic said:
"I know you know how to behave with nobility, but I will go through a bit of local history and rules so you can adapt to Bluffside elite."
OOC: aid with Nobility +8 and local history +11 so that everyone can adjust their expectations - in effect, I'm hoping to prevent penalties for foreign knights, paladins, spies, etc...to various skill checks.
Akos waits until everyone has come to his rooms. (Tuck is the last to arrive.) The Loremaster hopes that Evered will be discreet about just how relaxed the Exemplars became in the baths. Not that anyone did anything
truly improper. He goes over what he knows about proper decorum around nobles, although from what the matrons told them, the two young Aceron sons aren't the best behaved themselves. He concentrates on how to greet Lady Talitha and proper table manners for a fine supper in the home of a noble. It is a good refresher on etiquette.
The Loremaster wracks his brain for any historical element that might come up based on the style of the home and what he knows of the region, but there just isn't anything helpful he can think of. The décor is just awful and distracting.
"We should be careful not to say anything that might set off her sons," Custodio adds.
"We already know that Lord Nathaniel can be... disagreeable."
"He's an arrogant little pr-," Falen notes.
"Yes! We know..." Vinny quickly cuts the half-hobgoblin off.
"Let's keep the insults to ourselves. This place might have ears."
"Yes, we already know that her other son, Lord Jadon, is a wizard," Custodio agrees.
"And, I don't like the idea of going to this supper without my armor or my blade."
The afternoon slips into evening and an hour later, Evered returns to escort the Exemplars to dine with the Acerons. You follow him out of the guest quarters into the main part of the house. He leads you up a large winding staircase made of red oak. There is a touch of gothic mixed with the baroque on the second floor. The butler leads you into a grand banquet hall that is adorned from floor to ceiling with the most grotesque carvings and columns you've ever seen. A massive banquet table sits in the center of the room with eight chairs lined up on either side of it.
You see Nathaniel standing near the other end of the table near what looks like his father's chair. Standing next to him is a fine looking woman of indeterminate age. His mother, obviously. Standing off to one side of the room is a paper-thin young man who has his head in an old book.
More surprising than the Acerons are other nobles gathered in the room. There are half-a-dozen men and women of equal measure standing around Lady Talitha and each either has a drink in their hand or are nibbling on some sort of amuse-bouche. Servants are tending to the table with care and laying out everything for a fine feast.
"What did we just walk into?" Custodio whispers.
"So much for not being prepared for guests."
One of the nobles sees the Exemplars and whispers something to Lady Talitha. he looks up and laughs. She raises her glasses to the adventurers and then goes on conversing with the nobles around her.
"Please sit," Evered insists. "We have set aside these seats for you."
The butler motions to the near side of the table away from Lord Azel ornate chair. The chairs put out for you are just as gaudy as the rest of the house but clearly of lesser station than those placed for the Acerons and other gathered nobles.
Lord Nathaniel grins at you like the cat who is about to swallow a flock of canaries.
One of the nobles glides across the floor towards Tim and introduces herself as "Lady Heather Devereux of Jurral. We have heard very interesting things about you, Sir Tymbeck Valencia... from beyond the the Great Veil. My father will be
very interested in you. Yes, I think so."
She glances towards the others with mild interest. "Hmm, intriguing." She notes Custodio and Vinny who are wearing their official uniforms. "Do you work under Lord Nathaniel?"
"No." Custodio says plainly.
"I am a Sectarian Guard," Vinny says with a bow.
"I'm not a member of the Elites."
She nods to Vinny and heads back towards the other end of the table. She sits next to a distinguished older man who wears the military uniform of one of the
Gardes Rouges of Coeurdî. His insignia notes he is of very high rank. He carries a fine sabre at his side.
"So much for no weapons," Falen whispers to Akos and Breva.
"This feels like a trap," Custodio says to Tuck.
"Stay alert."
One by one, the gathered nobles sit at the table. Lady Talitha sits in her husband's chair. No one says anything about it. Even her sons don't seem to care. Her seat next to his is left open. Her sons flank the table next to her although it takes a sharp word from her for Lord Jadon to abandon his book on a side table and take his seat. He looks very uncomfortable being around so many people.
There are just enough seats for the Exemplars to sit after the servants take away two of the chairs and replace it with a sturdy bech seat for Big Tim. The table is full with an empty spot at the other end of the table next to Tuck and Falen.
Lady Talitha stands and raises her cup in toast.
"Welcome my friends, I am glad for your noble company. And welcome to the heroes known as the Exemplars who have returned my son to me. I know it was not an easy choice to make to flout the laws of The Five and let my son retreat from their grasping hands. You have my thanks."
Lord Nathaniel begins to look uncomfortable.
"Of course, he will have to be punished in some form, but I hopeful that with enough coin, The Five will allow me to find a suitable punishment for his actions. Perhaps servitude in the Bluffside Mountain Rangers might straighten him out!"
She glares at her son and he looks aghast. Then she laughs.
"A joke, my dear. I would never dream of sending you to die in a fight against the hordes of Khogshk." She drinks down her cup as she sits.
"But I must cut back your monthly allowance, I think. I can't have you taking bribes in Old City and not have you pay me for the privilege of keeping your head out of a noose."
She claps her hands and the servants begin serving the first course.
Across from Lord Nathaniel, his brother snickers at him.
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OOC:
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I'll post more details about the other nobles at the banquet table, later.
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