Play@YSDC

Duc's Palace, Guest Wing Corridor - Vyones, Auvergne, France
11:00 PM - Sunday, April 19, 1517

Gui L'Argot made his way through the deserted corridors of the guest wing of the Duc d'Auvergne's palace. He had used his silver tongue and his stylish clothing to finagle an invitation to the Duc's festivities, certain that some of the other guests would have things worth acquiring, and sure enough he was right. The famous Leonardo da Vinci was one of the guests. The artist and inventor had moved to France last year, and his artworks and inventions would no doubt be valuable to someone. The Duc had given him a special suite, with one room converted into a workshop so he could use it while he was in attendance.

Gui had waited until the evening celebrations had settled down and the guests had retired to their chambers (or sometimes, to someone else's chambers). Now he could make his way to his goal with hopefully none the wiser, and if anyone saw him, he was sure he could talk his way out of trouble. He crept down the corridor leading to Leonardo's suite. The mahogany door at the end of the corridor stood closed before him, expensive and ostentatious. If only it weren't too big to steal.

Gui, please roll Listen.

Gui paused, poised on his tiptoes, his senses straining for any noises to be heard.

Listen (35%) 1d100

All was quiet, both in the hall and the other side of the door. No doubt Leonardo was asleep, especially given his advanced age.

Gui glanced up and down the corridor then tried the handle, turning it slowly but firmly until it reach its maximum extent, then carefully pushed the door open, pausing to see if there was any response from inside.

There was nobody in sight, and the door proved to be unlocked, though it clearly had a lock. People were so trusting, which benefited him. The large chamber on the other side of the door was Leonardo's temporary workshop, with a door at the far end leading further into the suite. Gui saw a painting in progress on an easel, though he couldn't make out any details in the darkness. An odd contraption whose purpose he couldn't even begin to fathom was in the center of the room. In an open space behind that was an odd blue box, taller than a man, with a pair of doors and writing he couldn't hope to read given the lack of light. Beyond that stood a suit of armor, a halberd clutched in its elaborate steel gauntlets. That halberd's blade was embedded in the upper chest of a man dressed in black clothing not too different from Gui's own "working" clothes. He lay on his back on the floor between the armor and a large oak desk.

Gui. please roll Spot Hidden and Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1D3, so you lose no Sanity if you succeed or 1D3 if you fail.

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

Both passes.

Gui gave out a slow, silent whistle. A fellow thief, no less! It seemed the fates were with him tonight, but not with the poor fellow who lay dead on the floor.

Gui wondered what had killed the black-clad man. Well, the halberd, obviously! But was there someone in the suit of armour, poised to strike again? He stepped carefully closer, trying to see if there was any sign of life within the suit, but poised on his toes, ready to flee at a moment’s notice!

Gui's eyes were good at noticing things of value, and he saw that the dead man was clutching small objects in his fists. Of course, he would have to get a closer look if he wanted to see what they were.

Like a magpie spotting a glinting treasure, Gui felt himself drawn towards the objects clenched in the dead man’s fists. He took a step forward before he caught himself, cursing himself for his lack of control.

He took a deep breath and studied the suit of armour again. He circled around it, watching for any signs of movement. He moved behind it and reached out and gently touched the armour to see if he got a response.

The dead man had a small crystal clenched in his right fist, while in his left he held an open puzzle box. The armor made no moves at all. The suit of armor was made of steel and was cold to the touch. Now that he was behind it, Gui could see some mechanical controls sticking out of it.

Gui, please roll Repair/Devise if you want to try to understand what the controls do.

Gui studied the controls intently. By all the saints, what is this thing? An automaton? he mused.

Repair/Devise (20%) 1d100

Gui was correct. The suit of armor was some sort of automaton, but he had no idea how to operate it. He could try using the controls at random, but that was not without its risks.

Deciding that he would rather not risk being julienned by experimenting with the controls, Gui stepped away from the automaton and walked carefully over to the curtain windows. Retrieving the sash used to tie back the curtains during the day, he quickly knotted them together to form a short rope, which he deftly tied as tightly as he dare around the ankles of the automaton. If it chased after him, he hoped it would slow it down!

Satisfied with his work, he returned to the body of his fellow thief and carefully set about retrieving the puzzle box and the crystal, all the while alert to the suit of armour showing any signs of movement again…

While Gui was collecting the items and his attention was on the suit of armor, a thrown dagger struck him in the left shoulder, hard! Looking in the direction from which it had come, he could see that a man filled the doorway. ""Murder!" he shouted. "Intruders in the palace! Murder!" Then, to make things even more confusing, the door of the blue box opened, and a teenage girl in outlandish clothes stepped out of it.

You took 4 damage, leaving you with 6 HP.

Gui is moving to the thread linked below:

Caught in the Act