Mach picks up the paradox box (parabox?) and starts fiddling with it. Who knows, he may get lucky and come across a solution in minutes...
Not this time. Shrugging his shoulders, he sets the parabox down.
"Oh well. I tried."
Quintus chuckles at Krupt, and shows the paper to everyone.
"Oh didn't you know? I obviously want to hog the spotlight for solving this little problem. The way I see it we have to make the word cruel to turn into a word that is kind instead of wrathful. But that's just my opinion I could be wrong of course."
"Hmm, I'm not much on Thassilonian runes, that's more Um'bala's forte." Krumpt turns to the Mwangi man. "What would you say, Professor? Does the little noble have it right?"
Krupt's face registers a momentary expression of surprise and admiration at Nimt's suggestion, but quickly reverts back to general annoyance as the Chelaxian looks around to see if anyone saw him betray a humane emotion.
"Harumpf. Perhaps."
Quintus shakes his head.
"It says that this kindness is specifically a paradox of wrath. Does wrath correspond to anything in Thassilonian?"
Quintus will without waiting for an answer walk over to the runes and copy down the runes for C, R, U, E, L on a piece of paper.
Mach arches an eyebrow at the idea of kindness being a paradox of wrath.
"So... what does that mean? Like, cast a spell of kindness on the thingy and it pops open?"
Does wrath correspond to anything in Thassilonian?
Krupt picks up on what Valdemar noted. "The notes here state that it is associated with evocation magic. Perhaps someone here could throw some evocation magic at it?"
Nimt attempts to open the box with magic under the assumption evocation spells used on it may unlock it. However, nothing appears to happen when she applies the flame.
Quintus begins writing down all the possible combinations to the letters cruel before finally coming to a conclusion.
"I think I may know what the answer is. It's obviously..."
Then, uintus looks up wondering why he heard a gasp to see Nimt holding a flame and this time Um'bala recoiling away.
"Are you alright Um'bala?"
That's all the proof I need, Um'bala is somehow scared of fire.
Quintus takes a moment to think about what could be more important than the health of a friend when he realizes what he had just said.
"Oh yes well I think that I might be able to solve the trick to the puzzle box. Since you can rearrange the letters I thought about what those letters could mean, and then it hit me. We have to spell out a word that is the kindest thing we can think of. So I thought about what can be the biggest kindness out there, and I arrived at love, but that can't be it so I focused on money instead."
Quintus walks over to the box as he speaks and he begins to change the runes to what he says. Stopping to make sure he is right with the small sheet he made translating the runes for him.
"If you change the C with the L, the U with the R, the R with the C, and finally switch the E and the R you get lucre, or money."
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"If you change the C with the L, the U with the R, the R with the C, and finally switch the E and the R you get lucre, or money."
Quintus theory makes Nimt burst out into laughter. "That's a good one. And if the box was from Greed's country, it might well have been the answer. But does each rune keep the same meaning when placed in a different order ? I'd like to try every combination to seee what words-or sentence- we come up with. "
Quintus touches the runes in the order he assumes is correct. After switching the ruin Koriah noted for an R with the ruin for E the top 1/3 of the box pops open. As it does so there is a poof of smoke as two small creatures that look like the world's most revolting lapdog had somehow learned to walk on its back legs, materialize in the room. They quickly split up, one running over to a nearby book shelf starting to pull down books and scatter them all over the floor. The other goes to a table with a number of different scrolls and begins ripping them to shreds. In the process both of them chuckle with glee as they begin to destroy the library.
Mach is surprised by the appearance of the creatures in the library, but not enough that he's distracted for long.
He promptly runs up to one and stabs at it.
Quintus recoils from the little beasts and throws up his hands quickly forming a spray of colors on the creatures.
Then stunned for 1 round.
Then stunned for 1 round.
Stunned for one round.
"Summoned demons!" Krupt gasps, his eyes wide with wonder. "This son of Cheliax will not let you spread your chaos on this plane, foul spawn of the Abyss!"
Krupt grabs his guisarme, careful not to slash any of the furniture or decorations (no matter how he feels about their tastefulness) and attempts to trip the dog-creature tearing up the scrolls.
"Stop your destruction at once!"
Mach moves up behind one of the creatures and attempts to attack it, but it is too quick for him easily avoiding the blow. Quintus casts and covers the creatures with bright colors, however they seem to have no effect. Krupt moves over to the other, attempting to knock it down with his weapon, which looked as though it was going to work perfectly then at the last minute it bangs against the table, though not as effective it still manages to knock the creature on the ground.
The creature Mach was attacking turns on him after the failed attempt and tries to attack back with a tiny dagger.
The dagger cuts into Mach but it is only a superficial wound, more like a paper cut.
Pugwampis live in caves or ruined buildings, occasionally venturing forth to find victims upon which to inflict their sick senses of humor. Their “jokes” tend to involve spikes and excrement, or sometimes pits full of spiders or campsites that flood with swamp water. Certainly only the pugwampis consider their jokes funny. As all pugwampis are somewhat deaf, when not trying to be stealthy, they tend to scream and yell loudly so they can hear themselves and each other.
At some point in the distant past, pugwampis became enamored of gnolls, seeing in the beast-men a kindred form and thus aspiring to the height and deadly prowess of the savage warriors, whom they honor as gods. Gnolls, for their part, hate pugwampis even more than other creatures, mostly because of the gremlins' weakness and sickening fawning, though they sometimes keep the gremlins around just to torment them.
They are resistant to Magic and weapons other than Cold Iron. They also pass off their bad-luck to those nearby.
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Though he's faced with an otherworldly presence, the irrational part of his mind shuts off, letting his logical mind take over. "Pugwampis," he says, reaching into his pouch for some reagents. "They are a fey race, and as most of their ilk are resistant to magic and weak to cold forged iron. They also exude bad luck, much like a troglodyte exudes a foul stench." He mimes a punch against the pugwampi that Quintus cast his spell at, and a clenched fist of purple force flies towards the creature. The fist misses by a wide margin, however. "As you can see by my demonstration."
Attack the pugwampi that Quintus cast on, using telekinetic fist (6 remaining for the day).
Krupt screams out "Pugwhatsis? Fey? I thought they hide in the forests? Let's see how they feel about sharpened iron, even if it isn't cold."
Quintus has no idea what a Pugwampis is but he decides to help out in a different way.
Throwing his hands up Quintus makes the pugwampis's weapon greasy.
Mach snorts derisively at the pug-thingy's pitiable attack. He nimbly flips away from it, deciding to savage the one on its back instead.
Um’bala casts a spell but it doesn’t even get close to hitting the Pugwampi. Nimt bolsters everyone with her divine energies. Krupt goes after the Pugwampi flailing to get back up after already being knocked over bringing down his weapon on the creature it vanishes in a poof of smoke similar to how it appeared. Mach gets over to the Pugwampi just in time for it to disappear. Quintos’ spell causes the other Pugwampi to drop his little dagger, he shrugs no one around him and goes back to destroying the library.
"What happened?" Krupt bursts out as he pulls back his polearm. "Did the pugdogthing go invisible or did I kill it?" He looks around and sees the second creature still at work dismantling the library, and moves over to trip it.
Mach springs into action, trying to get around the Pugwampi.
Unfortunately, he stubs his toe on some furniture trying to do so, throwing him off.
Cursing, he stabs at the Pugwampi...
Nimt comes over to the other Pugwampi destroying the library. She goes to attack and feels as though it is going to hit but at the last minute her wrist twists causing the attack to glance of the creature. Um'bala comes to try and help keep it occupied for Krupt to trip it, but it doesn't seem to be too effective. Mach moves over flanking the creature and attacks, much like Nimt he feels it is going to connect but at the last minute it goes wide completely missing the creature. Krupt comes over and knocks the thing down on the floor, similar to the last one.
Quintus moves forward and tries to assist Krupt's next strike with his club.
Quintus works on distracting the creature. It tries to stand up and attack Krupt.
Seizing the opportunity, Mach strikes!
Mach is able to connect as it is getting up taking a chunk out of the creature, distracting it from it's attack on Krupt that misses. Nimt continues to have bad luck striking the pugwampi while Um'bala attempts to attack it, narrowly missing.
Mach's eyes light up at the sight of his dagger sinking into the thing's flesh, drawing blood. The voices rise again.
Kill it. Kill it. KillitkillitkillitkillitKILLIT!
For once, he agreed with them.
Mach brings his dagger into the creature and, like the other, it disappeares in a poof of smoke.
Mach breathes a sigh of relief when the creature vanishes. His blood seethes, frustrated at the lack of a corpse.
"Well, that went well!" He says, sheathing his dagger and turning back to the paradox box.
"Someone should inform the captain of what has happened. Luckily I need a small walk after this. I will be back soon."
Quintus goes outside the library and tries to remember where Captain Sheila might be at this point.
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Um'bala blinks as the last pugwanmpi is dispatched. "W-well, that was unexpected," he stammers, looking around at the damage the pair had done to Heidmarch manor's library. Pages fluttered to the ground, books were rent apart, and scratches marred the fine walls. "I hope the Venture-Captain won't be too mad at us for the state of her home!" He also peers into the now opened box, curious what the creatures were protecting.
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Nimt hugs Mach, then stops Quintus. "Better if we don't disturb her. We'll inform her when she is done talking to the Pathfinder. If you want a little air, why don't you take the box into the garden, where there's less chance of collateral damage, and continue to experiment there. I'll get the household staff to clean up here." With that, Nimt storms off to find a member of the staff.