Play@YSDC

Gui considered the situation for a moment. If Enrico had taken the manuscript with him, he wouldn’t be able to attempt its removal again for at least a couple of hours by which time the man was hopefully asleep. In the meantime, he may as well make use of his position and take a look in some of the other rooms. He did have to find a way out, after all.

Gui will move off in the opposite direction to Da Vinci’s room, stopping at any other secret doors he finds to take a peek inside.

The first peephole Gui looked through showed him an empty single bedroom. It didn't look like anyone was staying there.

Roll to see which room:
1d20

Gui quietly let himself into the room, double-checked the bed to make sure it was empty, then quickly crossed to the door to see if it were locked.

The door was unlocked, and it led out to a hall in the guest wing.

Henry closed the door and retreated to the secret passage, continuing on to the next room in the same direction. When he drew level with the secret entrance, he checked the peephole, listening carefully.

Listen (35%) 1d100

There was no sound beyond the next secret door, but peering through the peephole, Gui could see that it this single guest room was in use, though it was not occupied at the moment. From the clothes he could see, the absent occupant was a wealthy lady.

1d20
Gui, please roll Spot Hidden.

Spot hidden (50%) 1d100

Edit: the dice are letting me down

Gui pushed his eye up against the peephole but, strain as he might, he couldn’t get a clear view of the room.

Considering that fortune favoured the brave, he depressed the latch for the concealed door and eased it open, listening carefully for any sounds from within.

Listen (35%) 1d100

The room was completely quiet. There was nobody inside, or in the hall outside, as Gui slipped into it. A variety of expensive ladies' clothing was hanging up in an open closet. The bed was unmade, showing signs of recent use, though the lady in question wasn't here now. There were also a closed ironbound oak chest and a writing desk, in addition to a table with a platter of wine and cheese, some of which had been consumed, that had apparently been left by a servant.

Gui crossed over to the desk, carefully checking for anything that might identify the occupant of the room.

That done, he turned his attention to the chest, examining it meticulously, looking for any signs that it may be trapped to catch out an unwary thief, or even marked in some way so that the owner might determine whether it had been opened in their absence.

Spot hidden (50%) 1d100

Gui could see a letter on the desk with a broken wax seal, but it was too dark to make out the text or identify the seal. There was a candle in a holder sitting on the desk that he could light if he wanted. The chest did not have a lock, nor could Gui find any traps or special markings.

Lured by the mystery of the chest, Gui temporarily forgot about the letter and eased open the chest to see what was inside.

The chest contained jewelry of various sorts, as well as a small book. It was of course too dark to read.

Gui made a mental note of the jewellery. Something to remove later when it was time for him to leave the chateau, rather than risk taking it now. The journal intrigued him, though. Perhaps he could read it in the passage?

He scanned the room for a candle which he might borrow for a short while…

Presumably there is a candle and a means of lighting it?

Gui remembered that there was a candle in a holder on the writing desk, along with the letter that he had seen. A quick look through the drawers revealed there was also a small tinderbox that could light the candle. He borrowed these (and the letter, if he wanted to read that too) and returned to the secret passage, where he lit the candle.

The book appeared to be a diary. The text was small and hard to make out in the darkness, but it was in Italian. He could still figure out the dates, however. The first entry was from the beginning of the year, and the latest one had today's date. The diary was only about a quarter full, with the remaining pages blank. However, even if he could decipher the Italian, the unfamiliar language and the darkness meant it would take him hours to read it.

Gui sighed quietly. Checking around to make sure no one had come wandering alone, he carefully used the candle to leave a sooty mark on the frame next to the secret entrance. If he came back this way, it would remind him about the jewellery.

That done, he quietly returned the letter, extinguished candle and tinderbox to where he found them, then returned to the passage to explore further.

The letter was much shorter than the diary, so even if it had been in Italian, Gui might have had a chance to get the gist of it with his knowledge of French without taking too long. However, the letter was actually written in French. It read:

"Lady Bianca,

I find myself somewhat restless and unable to relax this evening, and of course my mind turns to your lovely company which has brought me great joy these last two days. Should you be tempted to discussion of the beauty of the countries we have each visited, or any other matter that interests you over a glass of wine, it would be my great honour to host you in my rooms a short while. If you are weary, however, you must disregard this restless old knight of course. Your comfort and happiness are ever my highest priority.

Your servant,

Jacques"

Your thread isn't the only active one, so you're not holding up anything.

Gui whistled silently to himself. ’Licheor plain d'anvie!’ he thought to himself. ’The dirty dog! You’d have thought she’d have better taste, too!’ Remembering the task Bianca had set for him, he once again picked up the journal but couldn’t make head nor tail of it.

He stepped over to the door and listened carefully. He also gently tried the door to see if it were locked.

Listening at the door (35%) 1d100

Sneakily trying the handle (45%) 1d100

If the door has a lock and is locked, Gui will temporarily insert something into the lock to prevent a key being inserted from the other side (Craft [Locksmith] - 50%) 1d100