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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3356892" data-attributes="member: 3448">The rogue who carried the report back to the palace on behalf of Kit’s people also gestured to a pallet that had been brought back.  “We also recovered his things.  We have yet to open his chest-- I would recommend caution, ma’am.”Alistair said, “Let’s have Aunt Cecilia look at the ratlord.  I want to make sure that there is no trickery.”Princess Cecilia made her way to the holding cell and sniffed a little at the repugnant creature before her.  “Oh, it’s definitely as it appears, horrid creature.”  She paused for a moment.  “I did not know that was possible… it has acid on its claws and blades, that has a divine power creating it, but is not divine magic.  How odd.”“Thank you, Aunt Cecilia.  Can you tell anything about the chest?”“Only that there is strong chaos.”A team of Kit’s people carefully examined the chest.  First, a mage scryed on its contents, noting many daggers; a host of holy symbols, all different; vials; parchment; paintbrushes-- too thin for paint, yet too thick for ink; a vial of liquid lead; robes; and a magical marble, the only magical thing in the chest.  The mage confirmed that the marble had some sort of divinatory magic on it and was profoundly chaotic, but he could not figure out more of its functions without examining it more directly.  Kit personally confirmed that there were no psionic effects on the chest.After that, a team of rogues began searching the chest for traps.  The first carefully removed a trap that would have sprayed a deadly gas into the area around the chest.  The second rogue was less fortunate, triggering a splash of a vile liquid that liquified part of his face.  Dame Brionna’s fast healing saved his life, but he would never be called handsome again.  Still, at least he did not suffer the fate of the third rogue, who released a spray of needles.  Her wounds seemed superficial at first, but then her body literally fell apart, with limbs and portions of limbs crumbling off.  The fourth rogue startled as the chest itself lunged forward and bit at his head, decapitating him cleanly.  Like all but the first rogue, the fifth and final rogue triggered a trap, but he leapt into a split in the air with lightning reflexes as a crossbow bolt shot forth from the chest at about waist-level, embedding itself several inches into the stone wall behind him.The last rogue swallowed, aware of how lucky he was to have survived.  “We think that’s the last trap, ma’am.”Alistair shook his head.  “Check it again.  We need to be certain.”The rogue nodded and carefully went over the whole chest again, paying particular attention to the lock mechanism.  After a good minute of searching, he grimaced.  “There’s a spring in the lock, leading into the interior of the chest.  I should be able to cut it.”  He carefully inserted his sharpest, thinnest blade into the seal between the top of the chest and its front panel, then nodded and withdrew the knife.  “Now to see what all the fuss was about…”As he reached to open the chest, Dame Brionna held up a hand.  “Your grace, if you would be so good as to step out of the room.  Just in case.”Alistair nodded and withdrew, bringing Kit with him, and Dame Brionna signaled the rogue to proceed.  At this point, the chest opened easily.The rogue sighed deeply, happy to have survived, and then he gestured at the vial of liquid lead.  “I don’t know what’s in that-- it would be difficult to tell, what with the lead and all, but that’s what the spring linked to.  If I hadn’t cut it, the vial would have emptied.”</blockquote>

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