renau1g's Red Hand of Doom

[renau1g]

Assuming you activate/use a light source:

As you land/descend down the forty foot ladder, you see that the walls of this small vault are of worked stone, the ceiling twelve feet overhead. The air is thick and smells stale. Three alcoves have been carved into the walls, two to the north and one to the east. Each alcove is sealed by an iron gate and locked with chains and a heavy padlock. Beyond one alcove are several shelves bearing no less than ten small iron coffers. Beyond the second is a small desk and chair, the desk piled high with papers and books. Beyond the third sits a single large trunk.

A human skeleton lies slumped against the eastern alcove's gate. Still dressed in tattered chainmail and feebly gripping a sparkling longsword, the skeleton has a massive arrow protruding from its ribs.



[sblock=OOC XP]
*You've found the legendary Vault of Vraath Keep, Congrats!*

To get everyone on the same XP page:
Starting XP = 15,000
Ambush on the Highway - 1575 xp http://www.enworld.org/forum/4304756-post60.html
Recruiting Jorr's Help - 300 xp
Defeating the Hydra (or plant monsters) = 540 xp http://www.enworld.org/forum/4472858-post250.html
Overcoming the Forces of Vraath Keep = 2,250 xp http://www.enworld.org/forum/4766189-post410.html
Finding the Treasure of Vraath Keep = 250 xp
Current XP: 19915/21000 (Almost there )
[/sblock]

[sblock=Lock DC]
DC is 30 if you attempt to Open Lock on any of the padlocks
[/sblock]

[sblock=Sascha/Zazz]
I'll assume you Search for traps and you don't locate any on the vault doors, locks, floors, etc.
[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

Yeah, it looks like Sascha's skills at Search and Disable Device kind of make Zazz's irrelevant...but he still has a bit on Sascha in Open Locks. Zazz will Take 20 on his Open Locks, for a result of 32.


After checking to make sure that there are no traps of any kind, Zazz sets to work on the old padlocks. It takes his several minutes on each lock, but in the end he manages to spring each one.

Passing through the bars, he searches each alcove, the desk and the coffers to ensure they are safe to be touched before he actually proceeds with opening things.

 

[Rhun]

OOC: Oh, and for lightsource, Zazz has an everburning torch.

 

[stonegod]

OOC: Sohen's Open Locks +7 is a bit deceiving: His arcane tools gives him a +2 like masterwork tools (which I forgot to include) and he can make it higher if needbe.

Sascha begins work looking at one lock, Zazz on the other. It is soon clear that none have traps, but Sascha does seem to have some difficulty with the lock. When he sees the elf's success with the first lock, the man lets the elf finish the others. Good 'and on ya too, m'Lord.

Sascha begins examining the desk and writings before moving on the the chest and skeleton.

OOC: How are we doing identification? Good ole fashion pearls or MIC methods as well?

 

[renau1g]

Zazz manages to open the locks after over an hour of effort.

[sblock=Alcove 1]
10 iron coffers:
Coffers 1-6: Contain an assortment of coins, 2,500 sp, 2,100 gp, 120 pp
Coffers 7-9: Each contains a note of credit to the "Barwin Merchant Company" in the amount of 10,000 gp each
Coffer 10: Contains the deed to Vraath Keep, the holder of which is the legal owner of the Keep
[/sblock]

[sblock=Alcove 2]
The desk contains various books, on a variety of subjects. If you consult them for research, they can provide a +2 item bonus on Knowledge checks, but there are too many to transport. You see a ledger containing all the books available, but it doesn't seem like there's anyway all those books could fit in the desk.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Alcove 3]
This alcove contains a single large trunk, unlocked. Once opened it reveals a skull of a huge sized dragon, a breastplate made of black hide, a staff, and a Huge spiked gauntlet.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Virashil]
You would know that the skull is from an old black dragon, the breastplate is made from black dragon hide
[/sblock]

[sblock=Identifying Items]
I'm fine with using the MIC method for determining magic item qualities. I never really was happy with the magic item "tax" of the 100gp pearls, but that's just me.
[/sblock]

 

[Rhun]

"Well, it certainly isn't a bad haul now, is it?" asks Zazz as the group finishes inventory on the items that they had found. "Now we have to decide how to split it, and what to do next."

 

[s@squ@tch]

Virashil, Hp: 24/28, AC: 17/17/14

As she passes the time, waiting for Zazz to open the locks, she studies Sascha.

"So, the bugbear had the map with him in his bedchambers, and not the war-room? That sounds odd."

There was something that just didn't sit right with her about that.

As the chest that contained the dragon skull is opened, she jumps to her feet and looks over Zazz's shoulder.

"That is --with no doubt -- a skull from a black dragon."

"The question is, why was it kept in a locked chest -- it would likely be a trophy -- not a treasure that people would want to steal...."

As the dragonhide armor comes into view,"Well, one thing is for certain, whoever lived here in the past took great pride in the beating of this black dragon."

"Which is not a bad thing to be proud of at all, really."

"I would say that the creature probably lived in the nearby swamps and was a menace to Drellin's Ferry back in its day."

 

[Rhun]

"I know I'd be proud if I defeated a black dragon," says Zazz with a smile. "Well, one that size anyway."

 

[s@squ@tch]

"That skull wouldn't make a very nice hat for you -- even if your head is big enough to fill it out," she says with a smile.

Once all padlocks are opened and the contents are visible, Virashil intones a few words of draconic and then begins to look over all of the stuff they found.

[sblock=OOC]

Cast Detect Magic, look over all items in coffers/chests, looking for magical auras -- she will also study each aura for strength and school of magic.

[/sblock]

 

[renau1g]

[sblock=Virashil]

The desk in the alcove radiates moderate conjuration magic.

The skull - Moderate Conjuration

Breastplate - Faint Transmutation

Huge Gauntlet - Faint Conjuration (I think... it's a +1 only)

Longsword - Moderate Evocation

Gauntlets (on skeleton) - Moderate transmutation

Staff - Moderate conjuration

[/sblock]