Ságol draws the group's attention to drops of a noxious looking syrup that has dripped upon the table in one of alcoves, though its true nature or source are not yet apparent...
As you examine the chest, gut instinct tells you that inside lurks a nasty surprise of some kind...
i am Luke Falgren, Sesi, Warden of the north. Well met...now, as I said, something is not right about that chest. We need someone with some expertise to examine it before we go hacking it open. Any of you rescued persons have any lock skills?
Ragnar keeps to the back of the group for the moment, allowing the others to run through the details of what had been discovered.
Sagol chuckles. Depends on how intact you want the lock afterwards.
Disa moves about the room, carelessly glancing at, but not really paying any attention to, the various accoutrements scattered throughout the room. At Luke's warning, she turns to the chest. "I have no abilities with locks, but let's see if there some lingering aura of magic upon the chest."
Raising a hand, she invokes a single word and peers intently at the chest for several seconds.
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Sesi, meanwhile, finds the person with her gear and gets dressed.
Kylar remains silent as the others chatter, surveying the room carefully. When his eyes fall upon the chest, though, his lips curl and he speaks.
"Don't open it."
Disa thrusts out her hand again, with emphasis, repeating the word.
"While the lady casts her spell, have any of you seen a white wolf about? He's my friend and I'm worried about him," Sesi asks her voice a little steady than it was before.
Your word indicates that within the chest there is a very faint magic presence - not a specific aura but perhaps a blend of a number... yet concentrated..
Of course they trap the only interesting piece in the place. Dumb savages...
Spell craft works just as fine. Based on your gut feeling and the concoction of mixed faint auras it may hold a spell book...
"The patterns of the weave are blending within the chest. There must be some sort of spellbook inside."
"A mage? Who in this dump was a mage? The only ones I remember seeing could barely manage to string three words together, much less read them from a mage's tome," Sesi scratches her head, her expression puzzled and her ears half-flattened,
"The witch is intelligent, and possesses natural magic. It is possible she has learned more."
Grumbling "Leave it, we can deal with it when the bastards are in the mud"
Aye, let's move further down the passage and come back.
Luke moves forward and peers down the passage.
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"Who are we putting in the mud? If it's the freaks that trapped us here, I'd rather feed them to a pack of worgs. Hungry worgs with bad attitudes," Sesi says as she strings her bow.
Leaving the fell living chamber your group move back toward where Muli stands waiting;
The air is rank with the smell of charred flesh and garbage, and acrid smoke clings to the air. Yet the wild alchemists critter bombs have done their job - the Rotian-maða are but ash and the way ahead is clear...
Luke's keen senses perceive no immediate threat and you make your way through the narrow, winding tunnel.
The "dip" in the tunnel height here suggests this is has not been expanded by the Hinderlings - rather these is untouched Puca tunnels, blocked off by the cave cannibals for some reason...
As the passage narrows, so does skaggig make was for alfr smarta. Ragnar leads the group with sword and shield.
As you form up to explore the remainder of Púca lair, Muli rummages in his pack and produces a small desiccated viper with hook teeth.
The shaggy alchemist grins;
"Lockbite Viper! Yes-Yes! You go explore... Muli unlock treasures!"
He lumbers off toward to the accommodation chamber...
Your group slowly wind through the narrow tunnel, Ragnar and Ságol frequently have to pause to re-orientate their respective bulks through the tighter squeezes.
The air on this side of the lair is more dank and stale, than the fetid home of the Hinderlings... all suggesting these chambers have long been abandoned...
The area opens out and two options for further investigation present themselves;
To the West lies a wooden door. It is heavily barricaded and reinforced from the outside - makeshift planks and thick props from axe handles to a sundered wagon wheel have been propped and nailed against the door...
To the East the path seems to open out into a more open chamber, from which a strange popping sound can be heard...
The unnerving sound is the crunch of a carapace of some vermin creature being pierced...
This area has been abandoned for a long time. Comments Sagol as they make their easy forward. He follows Ragnar's lead on which direction to take.
Luke moves forward cautiously, staying to the shadows.
Sesi's nose wrinkles at the odor of abandonment. It was like finding your pack's den had been deserted. After another couple of steps, the huntress's ears prick up.
"I think there's something munching on a bug to the east. A big bug." She points to the passage the sounds can be heard from.
Disa follows the rest of the group through the tunnels.
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"Perhaps predator, perhaps scavenger," Kylar says in reply to Sesi. Then he cocks his head in resignation. "But both tend to be dangerous in this land."
"Don't tell me that! I still don't know where Snowpaw is!" Sesi hisses at the wizard, her eyes flattening on her head while her teeth are bared and her eyes widened.
At Sesi's outburst the crunching heard nearby stops momentarily, then slowly begins again accompanied by the shifting of a large bulk...
Your keen senses discern that whatever is making the crunching sound has shifted toward your direction, but is still feeding... Additionally it slightly sounds further away that in the next immediate chamber...
Luke moves closer, stealthily with an arrow drawn as he stays to the shadows.
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"Uh-oh," Sesi whispers as she realizes she might have been just a bit too loud.
Perception:
Grim set to his jaw, where Luke stalks - Ragnar walks openly. He follows the warden, seeking to lay eyes upon the next beast to be opened by his blade.
Sagol follows as well, though with grace enough to leave a good distance between himself and their scout.
Cocking her head to the side, the oracle murmurs, "It's moving toward us but it is farther away than it sounded."
Shen then continues to follow the others.
Sesi nods, pulling out her bow and nocking an arrow. she follows behind the others, letting her eyes pierce the darkness.