[4e] The Wolfcrown, Chapter 1

[Rathan]

Doren hmmmm's audibly softly to himself as he moved to sit down on the chair as he opens the text to the first page and begins to read it. Determined to figure out the correlation between the text and the painting the desk is facing. Each sentence he reads he looks up at the painting hoping that one sentence may bring to light a connection between the two.

 

[Shayuri]

"The word is hours," Thorn repeats, looking the watch over. "Sounds like a cipher. Maybe adjusting the hour hand reveals a password...or maybe it's really 'ours' and its referring to some secret word they both knew..."

She looks at the face of the watch, taking note of the time it's showing, then looks for a knob or some other way to wind it.

 

[industrygothica]

"Damn mages," Baern says. "Everything's gotta be a riddle with 'em! Looky here!" He plants his thick finger on the page with an audible thud. ""Look at it from my point of view', it says. I reckon he means that picture." In the dwarf's dialect, it sounds more like 'pitcher.' "Sit down, look at it from where he looked at it, from his point of view."

"Maybe it's somethin', maybe it's not." Baern steps back as Doren takes a seat. "Damn mages."

[sblock=Skill checks]Passive insight/perception scores beat those DC's.

Arcana: 1d20+7=9 Not so much...[/sblock]

 

[DistractingFlare]

As Doren leafs through the text, nothing jumps out to him in reference to the painting. However, the text discourses a bit on the nature of the phylactery. It catches Doren's attention, as there had been a bit of talk about phylacteries at the court house earlier.

"When pursuing the power of life beyond death, a powerful mage can create a phylactery. Through an elaborate and dangerous ritual, the caster can store his soul into an object (usually one that was precious to him in life). He can then access his soul remotely, and his body will continually regenerate, so long as his phylactery is intact."

As Thorn analyzes the pocketwatch, she is unable to find a knob to wind it. There is, however, an intricate engraved design on the back - a system of delicate arabesques decorates the lid of the timepiece.

Doren and Baern stare briefly and analytically at the painting. The painting is indeed a beautiful one, probably dating back to before the rise of The Evil One. A slightly closer inspection, however, suggests that the painting hangs slightly crooked.

 

[Rathan]

"Thorn... be VERY careful with that pocketwatch... after reading this book a bit I get the sinking suspicion that might actually be the phylactery we are looking for... but for the current moment I can't prove nor deny that fact.." he said softly as he looked at Baern and back to the painting a few times...

"Is it just me my stout friend or is that painting awfully crooked on the wall? A painting as precious as this shouldn't be crooked in a mages home... I bet silvers to gold there's something behind it!" Doren added as he moved over to the painting with the text still in hand and leaned down to see his way around the perimeter of the painting for traps....

 

[HolyMan]

Torath stops his pacing... umm searching as the others start talking of passages and paintings, cipher's and damned mages. His own lesson's in the ways of Ayur where always so dull, especially when there was the art of war to learn, but now the paladin find's he wishes he had listened alot more closely.

He stands arms folded near the door wanting to be gone as soon as possible.

 

[DistractingFlare]

Doren can detect no traps behind the painting, and he begins to shift it to the side. Behind the picture, a small metal panel can be found. Doren manages to easily pick the painting off the nail it had been mounted on.

The metal plate appears to be the door to a small secret chamber, although there is no readily identifiable way of opening it, aside from a series of raised lines that crisscross the panel in a decorative pattern.

[sblock=Insight/Perception 15] I think Baern's Passive gets this anyway, but -
The marking on the pocketwatch is complimentary to the marks on the the door. If the watch were to be pressed against it, it would form a perfect match.[/sblock]

 

[industrygothica]

"O'course!" Baern shouts. "Gimme that watch!" He snatches it from Thorn's hand, and without a second thought sets the timepiece against the plate.

[sblock=If nothing immediately happens]"Bah!" the dwarf spits. Frustrated, he looks around for anything that may help open the door. Then he remembers the inscription. The word is hours.... He reconnects the watch to the plate and nervously mutters the syllable... "Hours?"[/sblock]

 

[DistractingFlare]

As soon as Baern presses the watch against the panel, a barely audible 'click' echoes into the room, and one side of the panel detaches weakly, as if the lock were held in place by only the weakest of cantrips.

Inside, you find a ruby the size of a man's eye, cut into a beautiful rhombic shape. The gem hangs daintily on an old silver chain.

 

[Phaezen]

Squeal watches nervously from the doorway, the warforged not wanting to get into the other's way as they go about their business.

Given the progress of the last few days Squeal is keeping an eye on all possible entrances to the room, watching for anyone trying to enter.