(15)
(âŚHe seems very focused on the question of whether there are passers-by on either end of the alleyway who might notice him. You get the impression that heâs looking for an opportunity to take you by surprise.)
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(Am I in front of him?)
I think your current positions look something like:
-forward-
[] D
Z R
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(Wanderer will stay, watching Rika work. Heâs trying to learn something, so heâll ask pointed questions while the search is happening.)
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âAre you familiar with this area?â Drakor asked as he continued tracking, weapons still in hand.
You spend several minutes taking an especially thorough look around the area, looking carefully for anything of note. Though most of the evidence has been washed away, youâre able to discern a few details that had previously eluded you.
First, looking extremely closely at the wall, youâre able to find a tiny bit of paint residue that the cleaner wasnât able to scrub off. Youâd guess from the residue that the symbol has been here for at least a few weeks, though (apart from the water) it doesnât seem to have experienced serious wear and tear. Apart from that, the positioning seems consistent with what you were told about the symbolâs location.
Second, although all the mud and so on has been cleaned up from the floor, there are a handful of scuff marks on the floor â not tracks, but signs of how the building was routinely used. It definitely seems like there were at minimum six different individuals using the room (possibly more).
Finally, perhaps unsurprisingly, a thorough investigation of the lock continues to reveal absolutely no signs of lockpicking â no scratches on the pins, no nothing. Thatâs not completely conclusive, as magic or a particularly skilled lockpicker might be able to avoid leaving signs, butâŚ
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âYes, of course,â he says, but his voice sounds a bit distracted.
As you reach the midpoint of the alley, he casts one final look in front of and behind him, making sure thereâs no one in view, before lunging with his shortsword! For whatever reason, heâs not striking to kill â based on how heâs aiming his blade, it seems more like heâs trying to sweep you off your feet â but that doesnât mean heâs not⌠attacking you in an alleyway.
Drakor (@Squirrel2412), Zelsh (@Leafia), roll initiative! Since you identified what he was Up To, he doesnât get a surprise round (the first round of combat will just be a regular round).
notes:
- the map depicts a paved street but actually the street is not paved. this has no combat relevance (itâs not Difficult Terrain at the moment) but it matters to Me
- the alleyway goes for another ~80 feet in each direction above and below the map before you reach a normal street
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(Because Wanderer was watching with intent to learn, how much of this would be ~fair for him to also learn?)
I think you can definitely pick up on the existence of the paint (since itâs obvious that itâs there once Rika points it out), I think the other details depend on what Rika mentions (like, I Assume sheâs not going to just keep them completely secret, but theoretically if she literally didnât comment on the scuff marks at all you could still miss them)
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âWho owns this cellar? When was this reported?â Paprika asked aloud, speaking as if to no one in particular.
Wanderer will give a glance around the room seemingly in response.
âWe got the tip last Sunday. No name with it, so we thought it might be a prank, but we checked just in case, and sure enough.â He sighs. âJust a shame they werenât there when we raided the place.â
He pauses to think, rubbing his forehead. âI dunno who owns the place now. The shop shut down when the guy in charge died. So Iâd guess the building went to his family, but they clearly didnât take over the business.â
(19)
oops I posted in the wrong thread