"Who wants to try that charm? Suppose we go left again?" Kurth asks, idly perusing the room for valuables or signs of danger.
Alsterro sends the servant on his way. "Be careful on your way out. Head into town and get yourself a drink to calm your nerves."
Alsterro shakes his head at the foolishness, then snags the charm and heads for the trap door. "Just be careful where you're pointing that thing, and try not to set off any traps on the way."
Alsterro detecs magic on the iron bookcase (abjuration aura).
Alice finds that the wooden bookshelves hold over 600 books. None of them are remarkably rare or expensive and the lot together would be worth about 800 gp. Clearly the more valuable items are locked away in the iron bookcase.
Arcane Lock, hmm. Try the charm, Alsterro. Perhaps it acts as a key would.
Indeed, as Alsterro tries the charm on the iron bookcase, it seems to open the magical lock. This bookcase contains 16 valuable tomes. Thirteen are extraordinarily rare books on subjects related to astronomy (worth 100 gp each). The other three are: book of extended summoning, a flesh golem manual, and a manual of war.
Milloy will look to see if any of these tomes have information on what may be in the cave of the deceased owner. If not he'll be sure that the books of value are taken with the party (asking some of the others to carry them if they have the encumbrance available). Milloy will then look to see if there are any hidden compartments in the bookcase.
Milloy finds no additional information or compartments and Alice finds that the western door is untrapped and unlocked.
Stepping in to the western room, you find this bedchamber richly appointed, with three armoires and three tall wardrobes, a canopied bed with a large locked chest at its foot, a writing desk and chair, elaborate marble tub, and a thick bearskin rug.
Alice notes that the room itself is trapped and Milloy detects a conjuration aura coming from the bearskin rug.
Conjuration. Careful of the rug, please. Upon hearing the room is trapped he asks, In what way? Can you disable it?
If the room becomes safe to enter Milloy will wish to examine the desk.
Alice tries to disable the rug so that the party can move further into the room but instead a real live grizzly appears in the room!
"Well now, that ain't right," Kurth says, studying the bear-from-nowhere. "Wizards is tricky - it might not be real."
After a split-second study, Kurth decides it doesn't really matter.
"Sounds like a bear and smells like bear ..." Kurth says, drawing his longsword and hefting his shield. "Better get my bear-tamer."
Not all wizards are so deceptive, though we all have our moments! Milloy summons the wand of Web from his wrist sheath and fires it at the bear!
Alice puts an arrow in the grizzly!
Kurth swings at the bear-that-might-not-be-a-bear but nearly hits himself in the process.
Milloy catches the bear in a web!
The bear ignores the web and rears up, going after Kurth!
Milloy moves further into the room and elects to cast Burning Hands, looking to light both the web and the grizzly on fire!
Kurth lets loose a roar of pain as the bear grabs him up, tooth and claw piercing his chainmail. He flails wildly with his sword, but doesn't come close to connecting.
Milloy burns away some of the web and the bear!
Kurth swings his sword but finds the flames distracting and is unable to hit the bear.
Alice puts another arrow in the grizzy!
Alsterro stands in stunned amazement as the grizzly lets go of Kurth and goes after Alice for putting an arrow in him!
Released by the bear, Kurth stumbles as the pain of his wounds sets in. But seeing the grizzly maul Alice, the big man roars and launches himself at the animal again.
Milloy will step back toward the corner of the room and use one of his Force Missiles!
Kurth slices into the bear!
Milloy then sends a missile into its chest!
Alice then stabs her dagger through its throat and the bear lets out a muffled roar as it falls back and collapses!
"By the gods, I hate that Hunclay bastard," Kurth says, sagging against the wall as he looks for something to bind his wounds. "Don't much care for bear-taming, neither, now that I've tried it."
"Alice, you alive? Where's our priest? I'd say it's time to break out that magic stick we bought from the temple in town."
Milloy takes time to put out any little fires that he might have caused before any of the furnishings and such become damaged. Yes, is everyone going to be alright? That was a... surprising development.
Once the party regroups Milloy will search the room.
Milloy finds a chest containing 3200 gp worth of coins and gemstones. Sitting on the top desk drawer is a ring of keys.
There is also a scrap of paper sitting on Hunclay's nightstand. It contains a few bawdy limericks.
The armoires and wardrobes in this room store rich clothing worth a total of 850 gp. There is a gold ring set with a fat black pearl worth 1350 gp.
Seems the man had some wealth. Rolling his eyes a bit at the piece of paper, the elf will note that he wishes to move on if nothing else magical is detected in the room.
Milloy detects a magical transmutation aura on the paper.
"Yeah, you might want to put the ring back, fer now, Alice," Kurth says as he stares longingly at the chest of coins and gems. "Who know what kind of magical spooks Hunclay or that old mayor has got following us around, spying. Maybe we can convince everyone that pearl's a fake, so you can get it cheap at auction.
Hmm, secret page. Milloy will try to recall if he has seen anything among the papers and effects that wizard left behind that might be a password.
Kurth's worked with enough burglars to know the sound of a lie when he hears one. He didn't see her palm the ring, but he knows something ain't right.
"Whaddya know, that ring done disappeared again," he says, opening the dresser drawer. "Bet I know where I can find it ... Come one now, Alice, put it back. We got a job, and these folks have been good to us so far. Give 'em a chance to reward us right before helping yourself."
He stands and waits, arms crossed, until Alice puts the ring back for real.
Kurth looms embarrassed.
"Only reason I know most of the tricks is cause I fell for em, sometimes more than once. But you get punched enough times, even an idiot like me learns to duck."
The party heads to the room across the hall and is able to unlock the door with one of the keys they just found. Two long tables of stained oak line the east wall of this room, each cluttered with alchemical supplies. Atop the desk on the west wall are writing implements, ink, sheets of vellum, and several scrolls. A large chest secured by a prominent lock sits just north of the desk.
Hmm, seems our locksmith has a job to do. Milloy will go about searching about the rest of the room, in particular the scrolls, while Alice undoubtedly fiddles with the chest.
Alice fails to notice that the chest is trapped and it lets out a piercing shout when she tries to open it.
After that, she is able to unlock the chest.
In the locked chest is the grand prize of the room: Hunclay's six spellbooks.
Milloy scans through the books and finds in one of them the spell secret page. A gloss in the margin has four words noted: Eox, Aucturn, Carcosa, Dominion.
Along the eastern tables rest several flasks: oil of keen edge, potion of undetectable alignment, potion of protection from acid, potion of protection from fire.
Atop the writing desk are several scrolls: scrolls of campfire wall, excruciating deformation, haunting mists, and magic circle against chaos.