pneumatik's WotBS 1 - The Scouring of Gate Pass

[renau1g]

Again Korrin sticks close to Hollister, hoping that if things turn ugly, Liiros can keep the elves from attacking them.

OOC

1d20 2=10

[pneumatik]

Despite living in a ghetto, the elves here appear to be pretty happy. If anything it's nicer and more spacious than the rest of Gate Pass. None of you are aware of any laws requiring elves to live here, so their isolation must be by choice.

Shealis leads the party to a two-story building. Initially you think it's a door- or gate-makers shop. When you get closer, you see that the windows are just wooden frames painted to look like curtains have been pulled. The door also isn't a real door, it's just part of the building's exterior with the framing and molding that would normally surround a door. The chimney is exhaling smoke, a sign that someone is there, but there seems to be no entrance to the building.

Shealis takes you around to the narrow alley between the building and teh ghetto's exterior wall. Everyone but Liiros notices a simple rat rooting around for food in the alley. The building's wall facing the alley is carved with various celestial creatures. Shealis reaches out and rotates first an armored woman with a gleaming greatsword, then a noble and muscular man with a lion’s head, and then a winged woman with a trumpet. Then she depresses a sunbeam carving and a door opens into the building.

"Be careful in here," Shealis says as she leads you inside. "The guard badgers won't attack if you don't give them a reason." The 50-ft. square room is dimly lit by a roaring fire in a fireplace against the left wall, filling the building with modest warmth. Casting shadows throughout the room are nearly a dozen doors, propped up by metal frames, all of them unfinished. Tools hang around the walls, stacks of wood are piled beside the fire place, and sawdust covers the floor. It looks like the workshop of a carpenter obsessed with doors. A staircase leads upward in the back right corner, and one of the doors stands at the foot of the stairs. You see three badgers lying in a corner. One stands up and eyes the group warily.

Shealis walks over to the stairs. "It's Shealis," she shouts up. "Bring the case down." Two elves come down the stairs. They're armed with long- and short-swords and longbows and are protected by bucklers and chainmail. One is carrying a black metal scrollcase.

Actually, make that the scrollcase. Larger than average, it is etched with swirling patterns. It's sealed with no obvious lock mechanism. The elf holding it stops a few steps from the ground floor. He looks at everyone in the room, then Shealis. She nods to him and he and passes the scrollcase to her, reaching over a door propped at the bottom of the steps. "Okay," Shealis says, "how do we open this?"

A silent moment passes before Torrent realizes Shealis is looking at her. "I have no idea how to open it," she says. "I just know it's not trapped." Looking at the party, she asks, "You guys have any ideas?"

[renau1g]

"Do you know exactly what's inside? If it's non-breakable, I'd suggest and axe or hammer to smash it open." Korrin suggests.

[Theroc]

Rae followed along, looking about with a slight bit on unease in the new company, but slowly getting less worried. After all, was there that much danger involved?

As they approached and he was warned about Guard Badgers, Rae blinked. Badgers? That's an interesting guard animal. He hadn't encountered one of those before. As the ornate scroll was revealed, he was almost immediately intrigued.

"Lemme take a look..." The boy said, curious as to whether he could 'crack' the 'safe'. At Korrin's suggestion, Rae looked startled. "No no, don't smash it... that'd be such a waste. If we leave it intact, it can be reused... or sold if there's no further use. It looks like it might catch a fair price, but anyways... let me see if I can figure something out about it..."

[Rhun]

"Badgers?" mutters Hollister, mostly to himself. "We don't need no stinkin' badgers."

As Rae moves to examine the scroll case, Hollister whispers the words to a cantrip, so that he might examine the case in his own fashion.

Cast detect magic, will spend three rounds examining the case.

[Thanee]

Lytha eyes the rat for a moment, but thinks that it would be too paranoid to assume, that it is some mage's familiar and intent on spying on them, so she moves along with the rest. She raises a curious eyebrow at the mentioning of the badgers, and the actual sight of them, but they seem tame enough.

When the question about the scroll case is forwarded to them, she considers possibilities for a moment, and then says: “Maybe it is magically activated to open by a command word?”

[Arkhandus]

Liiros follows along and responds "I don't have any clue." He glares at the peculiar case in annoyance.

[pneumatik]

Rae examines the case. He finds a cleverly hidden tiny keyhole on one end-cap. His attempts to estimate how hard it might be to pick are unsuccessful - something is preventing the pins and tumblers from moving at all. He can't make anything of the etched swirling patterns, which appear to be purely decorative.

Meanwhile, Hollister casts detect magic and concentrates on the case. He finds only a faint abjuration effect on the scroll case itself and nothing inside the case leaking out. While it's not the focus of his attention, he can't help but notice the aura emanating from one of the falchions Korrin is carrying. It's not overwhelming, but it's definitely more potent than other magic items Holister is used to.

Torrent says, "Rivereye said he wasn't able to say anything about whatever was in the case, but he did talk around it a lot. If there was something other than a scroll, I think he would have managed to tell us. So, I mean we can probably just bust it open somehow. At least I don't think that would be bad for what's in it."

[Theroc]

"Well, I'd hate to smash it, but there seems to be something stopping the tumblers and pins from moving. Perhaps some form of magic?" The young man finally responded, offering the scrollcase to anyone who wanted a closer look. After all, he couldn't do anything with a lock with tumblers which don't move. So, the boy thief looked about, still trying to think up a possible way to open the case which didn't involve smashing it.

"Can anyone... get rid of the magic on the case? Hm... suppose not or you'd've already done that, no?"

[Rhun]

"The case radiates faint protective magics," says Hollister to the others. "It could be simple magics to keep water and such from seeping into the case, or it could be an arcane locking spell of some sort."

The wizard steps closer to Korrin, lowering his voice as he speaks to the warrior. "Your new blade is magical, my friend. It certainly isn't a weapon of legend, but it definitely carries some sort of dweomer upon it."


OOC: Spellcraft check to attempt to identify the magic on the case.

Spellcraft Check: 21

[pneumatik]

Hollister's spellcraft check

Hollister knows that arcane lock would keep the tumblers from moving in the manner Rea is describing. In that there only appears to be one dweomer on the scroll case, and that detect magic shows that it could be arcane lock, then it's very likely that the case is arcane locked.

[Rhun]

"Upon further examination, I'm almost certain that the magic on the case is an arcane lock spell," adds Hollister after a few moments. The wizard turns to Shealis. "I do not currently have a spell in my repertoire capable of dealing with the lock. Do you perchance know a spell to open locks or dispel magic? Either of those should work."

[pneumatik]

"I don't have an appropriate spell with me," Shealis says. "If I ever need a utility spell I buy a scroll from the school."

[Rhun]

"That is unfortunate," says Hollister, scratching at his goatee. "So, what do you suggest then? We could return to the school? Or perhaps you know an elven wizard of some skill that dwells nearby?"

[renau1g]

"There's still the option to smash it open, unless your magicks would prevent that" Korrin says wryly

[Rhun]

Hollister shakes his head. "While the magics would make the case extremely difficult to pry open, it wouldn't provide additional protection to the case itself. With that said, smashing it open could well damage anything inside."

[Arkhandus]

Liiros stands around and grumbles about the unopenable case, upset that he can't offer any solutions. He was no locksmith or magician. "Well, then, find someone else around here who can break the magic seal! Surely with this many of our kind around, someone possesses enough magical talent to do so!" he says, briefly losing his patience.

[Thanee]

“While it is not my field of expertise, I do agree, that it shouldn't be too hard to find someone around here, who is able to. That sounds like a pretty basic spell we need here,” Lytha chimes in.

[Theroc]

"Just don't smash it!" Rae says, looking at Korrin incredulously.

[Rhun]

"If we could find a scroll with a spell to open locks, it is well within my ability to cast," adds Hollister. "I simply do not have such a magic written in my spellbook. Shealis, do you know someone nearby, or perhaps know of a place closer than the Castle to secure such magics?"