Carefully, very carefully

The tiny bit of moonlight that filters in from the guardroom just barely reveals a tight spiral stairwell whose stonework walls have been scratched and worn with age. The stairwell is narrow and steep; you could easily place your hands on both the center pillar and the wall at the same time if you chose and a thick knotted rope has been hung along the curved wall to help safeguard against falls, but you are careful to touch nothing as you descend cautiously. Through the thin soles of your shoes, you can feel where centuries of use have worn indentations in the center of each step. After the first eight steps the spiral has twisted nearly beyond the range of the light and the arched doorway you find cut into the wall looks almost like a shadow.

The doorway is about two hands deep and veiled in complete darkness, your fingers silently probe the door set into the recess. It is made of wood, old seasoned wood that is cracked and weathered but still solid, thick planks attached with smooth headed rivets and bound in three bands of beaten iron. The door has no handle, instead a lock plate with a key hole in its center is fastened to the right hand side of the door. Unlike the wooden planks which are pitted and scratched, or the iron work that has chipped paint and spots of rust, the lock plate feels almost brand new. The metal plate is perfectly smooth with only a few tiny scratches near the hole for the key and the scent of oil indicates the lock behind it has been recently maintained.

Kneeling carefully you peer into the darkness of the staircase beyond the doorway, but it is too dark to make out even the curve of the walls, instead you extend your other senses into the gloom. There is an occasional creak and groan of any old building, but you don't hear any sound of movement; the still air is heavy with dust and mold, and you pick up the faint scent of urine - no doubt from one of Orestes' mercenary guards who decided to use the stairwell as a latrine at least once before deserting his master.

Satisfied that nobody has been disturbed by your entry, you return to the door for a more thorough investigation. A careful feeling of the stonework of the archway and of the frame of the door leaves you fairly confident that the entryway itself is not trapped although a poison needle in the lock itself or a trap that is hidden on the other side of the heavy door is certainly possible. The scent of stale urine is even clearer as you kneel in the doorway and you wonder about the type of guard who would dare to piss in Orestes' domain.

Lock picking is not your best skill, but you have a good set of picks, and this lock (unlike the bulky lock securing the sewers) is well maintained. Furthermore, you estimate that you have at least a couple of hours before the household awakes so taking the time to try to pick this lock would not undo all your work so far. Clearly Orestes must be keeping something of value behind this locked room at the very top of his tower if he has taken the time to install and maintain its lock.