Erekose's Savage Tide - Act 1: There is No Honour

[Rystil Arden]

"We can just turn the pillar, I imagine. And the red point is probably just to indicate which direction we are currently pointing."

(OOC: Hmm, it's probably not a big deal to get East wrong, since we can just try it one way and then the other.)

 

[Velmont]

The ceiling above is only ten feet high, with the now-familiar eight-pointed star pattern radiating out from the grooved pillar. The arms of this star are black, save for the one pointing south toward the entrance, which is red.

You have your east. And I am not sure what RA suggest is good. I am not convince the note is related to that room, but as I don't have any better idea, it's worth a try.

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Aha, good point, we do have east. We might as well try Alix's idea though. Lavinia said there are no traps, so it isn't like it'll jolt us if we get it wrong, and it seems like it has a chance)

 

[Erekose13]

It doesn't take much for the crew of geniuses to figure out that the pillar is a combination lock and that it can be rotated. Based on direction and very accurate guesses on creatures involved it is a simple matter to begin rotating the pillar. As the red point of the star rotates to one of the creatures on the wall a click can be heard. Counting off the clicks 6-1-2-4-2 in the correct directions yields results immediately as the room rumbles. Five alcoves reveal themselves rotating the faces of the fantastic creatures. Each bears several coffers and chests, though as each opens it is apparent that they have not been well stocked. All the chests are open and empty except perhaps for a few coins here and there.

In the last alcove though Lavinia is excited to see that some coin still remains. There is also a thick ledger and an iron coffer stuffed with documents. Alix can just imagine how much each of those documents lists, recognizing them as notes of loan from various guilds and families from around Sassarine.

Lavinia steps forward to examine the contents of the last alcove, looking first at the ledger. "It looks like my parents made a practice of doing dangerous favors for numerous organizations in Sassarine, yet rarely bothered to collect rewards. Instead they allowed their patrons to keep the rewards with the understanding that they could collect at any time. There is quite alot here, but it'll take time to collect."

Turning to the documents, she finds the to be are another story all together. She shows the group as she flips through them. "These documents are written in my mother's handwriting but in a strange language I don't recognize. Although the letters are definitely elven. " Included in the document are several maps of jungles, coastlines, and other regions that seem to represent some unknown tropical location. The document also includes dozens of sketches of strange, exotic creatures.

"The lack of easily useable cash is quite disconcerting. There is enough here to pay taxes and other debts, including your's if you need any money at the moment. But I'll need time to collect and I hope that my aunt and uncle in Cauldron can help out in the next few months. That's where the Ravens went.

"Alix, what do you make of this? Does it fit with what you thought to find?" she asks.

 

[Rystil Arden]

It looks like my parents made a practice of doing dangerous favors for numerous organizations in Sassarine, yet rarely bothered to collect rewards. Instead they allowed their patrons to keep the rewards with the understanding that they could collect at any time.

*Alix grins wryly. This is, after all, exactly what he had just done for Lavinia.*

"How very fitting," he says softly with a smile, "They were truly good people, your parents."

"Alix, what do you make of this? Does it fit with what you thought to find?"

"No, not what I expected, Lavinia my dear...but this is better. It means that we can carry everything out without anyone noticing that we have succeeded. It needs to look like a failure for me to get into the vault."

"Now then, all you have to do is go somewhere safe, while the others stay here in the vault, safely away from the metal snake thing, and prepare an ambush. We'll get Tereg in here too."

"Then I'm going to put myself at quite a bit of risk by baiting the murderer with the ring and the safe combination, which is no danger to you, since you will already have the treasure in this vault anyway. If all goes as planned, we should have a pretty good chance at capturing a dangerous criminal, and your life will be safer. If we don't do this, they might come after you when they find out that you have recovered your inheritance."

 

[Velmont]

"Looks like a failure?" Jerrell start to pass his hand on the wall and teh ground, taking some of the dust that have gathered with time. He put them on his hands and clothing. Even slap himself on some place so it become red. "Now I look like I have done a stenuous work. That's not the way to enter a safe when you haev all the keys."

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Alix shakes his head.*

"No, it needs to look like I didn't even get into the vault in the first place. Jerrell, you and the others have the most important job of all--you need to wait here in the inner vault and ambush the bad guy when I bring him down here."

 

[Manzanita]

"OK. I don't mind waiting here and being part of the plan. We can open this door from the inside whenever we need to, so there's not danger of starving. But I do think you should tell us what's going on, Alix. If you're really going off to confront a murderer, then your life is in danger. If you keep us in the dark like this and die, then your hard work will have been in vain. Level with us. Don't treat us like servents. And hopefully we'll be able to help you out if you need us."

Julian also insists on testing the door to make sure he can open it from the inside before agreeing to stay.

 

[Rystil Arden]

"At this point, you have all the details of my plan. I'm going to pretend I want the treasure here for myself and that I'm going to let the bad guy in on the plan for a split. I'll fake-haggle for a higher price and what-have-you, but you and I know that Lavinia already has the true prize. Then we'll return here. I may also have Rowyn Kellani with me too--it depends on if she is going to come because I will be offering her a 'cut' to bring me into contact. I am also going to insist that they come alone, so there shouldn't be any thugs involved. If they wind up killing me before they get down here, I'm leaving a letter stating their guilt and their guilt in my murder as well and asking to have them Speak With Dead to me after I'm gone. That spell can't lie. It should be enough to convict, even if Rowyn has bought off the higher courts, and that alone should suffice to keep them from killing me off-hand. I believe I am being fairly aboveboard with all this," Alix smiles, "That was a good question, though. Is there anything else you'd like to know? And if you have ideas to make the plan better, I'm happy to hear them."

(OOC: Alix already tested the door earlier, so don't worry, it does open from this side. It was the first thing he did when we entered)

 

[Velmont]

"How much time will we have to wait here?" asks Jerrell?