Notes on the Aether (Rae judging)

[Trouvere]

"Good news, everyone," says Keldar. He tentatively pushes his hand toward the doorway and, presumably, the containment field.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Keldar, not being composed purely of elements, walks right through the invisible containment field.

 

[covaithe]

Tommy smiles. "I'm actually quite glad that all of the tower's elementals are summoned now by these devices. That opens up the possibility of retreating from the tower to rest after disabling some of the devices. But we should not dawdle; the fireplace needs disabling. You might need that extra bucket after all, Keldar."

 

[Trouvere]

Keldar is relieved. "So, plan K is still an option, then," he says. He comes back inside. "We will see you again, Cassandra, sooner or later. Rapture didn't seem... um... entirely averse to the idea, did she, Tommy?"
Back in the living room, he announces, "New plan everyone! One of my favourites - 'Let Keldar risk his life while you all hide behind the couch.' Although, Tarag, you have a feel for stone, don't you? You could give me a hand. Right, time for grandma's toothpicks again."[sblock=OOC]Keldar searches for the summoning device at the fireplace, and for any traps. Since we're not under time pressure on this floor, he might as well take 20, for 26. Should there be a trap, his Disable Device is also +6.[/sblock]

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Keldar feels around the fireplace mantle for catches or latches or some such thing, to no avail. He turns his attention to the inside of the fireplace, feeling around the border, and it's there that he finds a strip of rubbery material pressed in a groove around the base of the fire pit. He peels it away, carefully, slowly, and reveals a line of white chalk around the base of the firepit and two indentations in the back. One is just a beveled edge, probably for gripping. The other conceals a little grooved hole, not unfamiliar to Keldar.

Tarag offers advice based on the construction of the fireplace (ad hoc +1 to DD check) and Keldar's grandma's toothpicks go to work. Poking around in the hole, he feels a few components give slightly and then spring back. Definitely a trap, he mentally confirms. Fearless as always, he pushes and pokes, attempting to disable it when suddenly he slips (14) and BOOM! The fireplace explodes and Keldar leaps back from it. Somehow he manages to escape (21) the flames. Tarag, who was standing off to the side, is in no danger of being burnt. Keldar's mammaw's toothpicks, being of the standard metal dragon-teeth type, are unharmed by the brief explosion of heat.

Keldar...

Spoiler

is reasonably sure that the trap had a manual reset

,

Spoiler

so it should be alright to investigate now

.

 

[covaithe]

From his position safely behind the couch, Tommy offers a rambling discourse on the uses of spell components in magical traps and magical devices, occasionally making helpful suggestions. "Keldar, the device in the dias that summoned the earth elementals included several unlit candles and a small bag of earth, which are not coincidentally the arcane spell components for monster summoning spells. As you no doubt know, the candle is often used as a component in spells that reach across planes, perhaps because it represents a tiny, controlled portal to the plane of fire. The bag represents control, as one wants to command whatever it is one summons. Now in the course of a normal summon monster spell prepared from spellbooks, the contents of the bag do not matter, but perhaps when constructing a summoning device, the contents of the bag can serve as a proxy for the summoner's will to determine what kind of creature is summoned. For example to reset the device on the dias to summon fire elementals, perhaps I could have substituted a bag of ash or sulfur. Oh, and of course, in a fireplace, the components will presumably be shielded somehow from the heat, particularly the candles, if they are still necessary in a more sophisticated version of the device."

ooc: That was fun, but I'm gonna stop now 'cause my email notification just told me Rae posted, so I'm probably too late to assist anyways.

 

[Trouvere]

"And THAT's how you disable a fire trap," says Keldar. "Any questions?"

 

[Boddynock]

"Yeah. What happens if you're not quick enough to leap screaming out of the way?"

"Are we sure this one is disabled? If so, let's go on to the next chamber."

 

[Trouvere]

"Keldar not quick enough? It could never happen," says Keldar incredulously. "The trap is disabled; the summoning device remains. But I think it will pose few problems now. Bags and candles, eh?" Keldar's head disappears back inside the fireplace. From inside, his voice can be heard, muffled. "Why do you think Thyrin's little friends are acting up, Freckles? Suppose... suppose you were to put a summoning device back together. Would the next elemental summoned be under your control? Suppose Keldar were to put one back together!"

 

[covaithe]

"Rapture, could you please ask Keldar not to call me Freckles? He seems to listen when you talk." Tommy says in exasperation. "Keldar, I have no idea if I could put back together the summoning device. I was in a bit of a hurry when I took it apart, and I didn't study it."

ooc: I'm assuming that creating the summoning device would require at least the ability to cast Summon Monster III (to get a small elemental), and probably Craft Wondrous Item as well. Fixing it after we disabled it might be easier, but I imagine it's still well beyond Tommy's abilities as yet. If you disagree, Rae, I'd be happy to give it a try.