Play@YSDC

Duc's Palace, Secret Passages - Vyones, Auvergne, France
9:40 PM - Monday, April 20, 1517

Gui returned to the secret passages, intent on his mission.

Quietly, Gui slipped along the passage, backtracking towards the players’ apartments. When he found the secret entrance, he paused, listening carefully for any sound within.

Listen (35%) 1d100

Gui could hear nothing beyond the secret door, though he could see that the main room of the suite was dark and deserted.

Very carefully, Gui depressed the latch that opened the door from the secret passage. He waited a moment for any reaction from inside the room and then eased open the door so he could get a better look, checking that no one was waiting for him inside.

The door opened silently, and the main room was indeed empty. On the far side was the door leaving the suite to the hallway, which was closed. On the left side of the room were two doors through which he had seen the children go. The other door on the right wall was the one where he had seen their parents leave. All was quiet.

Gui stepped carefully into the room, waiting a moment with every step to see if the alarm was raised. Hearing nothing (presumably!), he moved over to the table to see if the script had been left there. Almost as an afterthought, he slipped a large black cloth from his belt and tied it around his face, so as to disguise his appearance.

The script had not been left on the table, unfortunately. Gui should have known it wouldn't be that simple, but it was still best to check. All was still silent.

Gui looked around with gritted his teeth. Where had they hidden the damned manuscript?

He suspected that it wasn’t in the children’s rooms, so unless it was hidden in this room, it was in the senior Galiano’s room. He scanned the room. Was there a dresser or desk where it may have been left?

There was no dresser in this room, but there was a writing desk with several drawers.

Gui, if you enter the room, please roll Sneak. If you also want to search the desk, please roll Spot Hidden.

Sneak (45%) 1d100
Spot hidden (50%) 1d100

Gui tried to sneak across the room to take a closer look at the writing desk but caught the table with his hip as he tried to glide past. It only moved an ligne or so, but it was enough for the wooden leg to squeak awkwardly on the stone floor, which sounded devilishly loud in the quiet room.

Cursing inwardly, Gui froze, ears straining for the sound of any movement from any of the bedrooms…

Listen (35%) 1d100

Gui made his way to the desk and searched through it, but he couldn't find anything that could be a script because it was too dark. He did find a candle in a holder on top of the desk, and he was sure he could see better if he lit it, but if anyone opened one of the doors it would be very visible. He could barely hear stirring from the bedroom where the parents had gone.

Listen rolls:
d%
d%
d%
d%

Gui stood stock still, counting silently to one hundred, giving anyone disturbed by the noise time to either settle down again or to come and find what had caused it.

Gui looked around to see if he could see a cloak or blanket in the room. He planned to light the candle but if he used something to cowl it, the light would be less likely to draw attention.

At the sound of someone moving, Gui stepped quickly and quietly across the room, trying to to the secret door before anyone realised what was going on.

It wasn't long before Gui could hear footsteps approaching the door of the parents' bedroom, so he hastily retreated to the secret door. After he got there, the bedroom door opened. "Who's there?" called Enrico. "Charles? Giulia? Is that you?"

Gui slipped through the door, quietly closing the latch behind him. He paused in the corridor - as much to listen to what happened in the room as to try to work out how to get out. He had entered via the young ladies’ room after all, and he didn’t think they’d welcome his appearance in the middle of the night!

Listen (35%) 1d100

Gui could just barely hear footsteps in the secret corridors, accompanied by muttering. He couldn't tell from which direction they were coming or make out the words, however. He could also see Enrico in his nightclothes through the peephole, carrying a lit candle in a holder as he made his way across the main room toward the doors on the other side.

Your previous Listen roll, which was a narrow success, still applies, so you don't need to roll again here.

Gui watched through the peephole. It was common when people were disturbed to check things of value to them. He hoped it might apply here, with Enrico giving away the location of the script.

First Enrico knocked on one of the doors. "Charles, are you awake?" he called.

"Ugh...I am now, Father," his son replied.

"Someone was walking around in here. I thought it might have been you or Giulia."

"I'm awake, Father," came the daughter's voice from behind the other door. "Something woke me up a minute ago, but I wasn't sure what."

The man had good hearing, Gui would have to give him that! He guessed his chance was gone for the night but he tarried a while longer to see what the family would do.

"The desk has been disturbed," said Enrico, going over to it and rooting through the drawers. "Ah, good, it's still here." He pulled a sheaf of papers bound by ribbon out of it. "This stays in my room tonight. Go back to sleep. We'll need our rest for the performance." He returned to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.