Once again, Aldren is glad for having bit his tongue. Madame Halvien said I'd do well to learn to be silent. I thought she just meant biting a pillow. Sorry, Madame. You were right again. Aldren watches the two women converse with the fey creature and has to cover his grin.
Snapping his attention back to what's happening in the hole, Aldren studies the items and says, "That one," as he points at the object with the aura.
Yes its the red Cloak.
And Stellx says "All of it, that's my home, I knew you were bullies." and he runs inside one of the cracks in the wall before anyone can grab him. from inside the hole you hear "My great Fey powers will curse you now if you don't leave the stuff behind."
"You're right, Stellx. I wish you had said something before Mister Laurent went down there--I'm a little hurt that you didn't say something before he went to all the trouble--but certainly we don't want to take your home from you. But when you leave, you're going to want to take it with you, won't you? Come on out and I'll help you pack."
Aldren walks over to the gap in the wall where Stellx disappeared as he's talking, affecting as calm and consoliatory voice as possible.
"We would be happy to trade with Stellx. We have some lovely dead spiders, if anyone would like them?" Carawyn says, digging in one of the pouches scattered about her waist.
Berenice rolls her eyes at the men arguing over shinies.
"Let's just finish casing this place. Let the possum-fairy keep his treasure."
Laurent gathers up the magical cloak and the knick knacks, then climbs back up out of the hole, having missed the conversation with Stellx.
"It seems I got everything, but I will probably have to have my clothes deloused when I get home," he says, grimacing. "I heard you talking up here. Did Stellx decide to leave already?"
"Pretty-Fey!" Stellx yells at Berenice through his hole. "Me no possum......." Stallx mutters.
"Yes, Stellx, you're very pretty. Berenice agrees. She's a halfling, you know they've got funny ideas as to what is pretty. It was a compliment. Come on out, and let's pack your things." Aldren still has his morningstar out but he's holding it behind him and to the side of the hole in the wall, hopefully out of Stellx's view.
@aldren- even with the bluff check 20 he appears to not come out.
how long you wanna wait.
Unseen to the possum-faced wretch in the hole, Aldren's face twists in an expression of barely contained fury. It passes after a second as he takes a deep breath and focuses on his teachings. Vengeance, not murder. He threw you down a hole--maybe not even he--and you killed his family. He threatens to betray you but hasn't done it yet. You owe him nothing but does that justify kilingl him?
He stands there for another moment, then turns back and walks over to Laurent. "The fey says all the rags and coins are his and has decided to betray us for touching them.
Berenice opens her mouth to protest Aldren's words, but decides better of it and closes it.
She looks around to see if there was anything else of interest in the room.
Laurent inwardly sighs but outwardly maintains his composure. I suppose this is to be expected in dealing with an insane fairy creature, he thinks.
"I see. Well, let me just put these down then. We can find out what is making magic behind that grate, then return to perhaps negotiate the use of these items," Lauren says, folding the cloak and putting it on the floor, then placing the baubles on top of it. He absentmindedly scratches around the back of his neck as does so, flicking a small beetle that had gotten into his hair to the floor.
nothing else of interest is in the room. A faint playing of music is being played that appears to be coming down the corridor past the rusted gate.
"Nothing more to see here. Let's follow the blasted music," Berenice says, nocking an arrow into her bow and taking point as the group proceeds to the gate.
If there is no further business with Stellx at the moment, Laurent will approach the grate and see if there is some kind of opening mechanism. If there is he will open it, if not, he will ask Septimus if he is capable of smashing through the grate.
As the others deliberate how to get past the gate, Aldren stares at the red cloth for a moment and ponders likely scenarios. If we leave it, he may decide to not betray us now, but this is the second time. What is to say he won't decide once again to betray us? If we take it plainly, he will certainly betray us. Though the betrayal won't be deadly, it will be an an inopportune time... He glances between the garment and the hole in which Stellx is hiding.
Lirana shrugs. "I'd say just leave the stuff for now while we finish exploring and find the source of that music. We can re-evaluate the possum situation later when it might not inconvenience us."
"In his defense, we think many people would try to stop someone who came into their home to take their stuff. It's hard to think why he's wrong."
The gnome reaches into her purse and then leans down, leaving several small gold coins on the ground.
"We don't need these, though, so perhaps we can trade?"
She nods at Lirana and Septimus' words.
"Yes, music is lovely, despite its origin. We should dance to its tune..."
As the gnome leaves alms for the possum-faced aggravation, Aldren watches then sighs. Whatever he was contemplating, he sets it aside. This will end with our lives put at risk once more. Better to have ended it when it 'surrendered'.
Instead, he stands next to Berenice while Laurent and Septimus do their work. In a voice that isn't quite a whisper but still quiet he says, "Sorry. It does look like a diseased possum."
"What?" Berenice says, not really paying attention.
Laurant easily opens the grate. you leave the Grimple inside the cracks in the wall as the party heads down the stairs; music playing in the background. A fifty foot diameter pool of brownish sludge fills most of this room chunks of plaster have fallen off the walls, and you see that almost all available space on the walls are covered with crude runes. There are four pillars rising out of the fetid water with chains interlocking and attached to the walls. There also appears to be a circular corridor hallway that makes it way around the pool. Rumble covers the floor. creating difficult terrain. A stray look back from Aldren you see that Stellx gives the group a one fingered salute as they leave.
Aldren sticks his tongue out at the beast before continuing down the ramp.
Berenice scowls at the sludge, but stows the arrow and her bow, before pulling a torch from her pack and lighting it, and then drawing her sword. She follows the group down the ramp, but she's hesitant to get in the water. What's knee high to tallfolk is waist high to her, and she didn't want to ruin the precious yew wood of her bow.
|
"Let us stick to path around the pool. We should not wade around in foul water such as this. We do not know what diseases this sludge may carry and we do not know what might lurk below the surface. There are many foul beasts that can hide themselves in places like this."
Septimus carefully moves around the pool keeping his eye out for any other doors, passageways or anything unusual.
Aldren follows along behind the group and looks at the scene before them with sudden seriousness, morningstar at the ready and his other hand free to grab his holy symbol. "Wait, Septimus. These glyphs may give us some warning or a hint of danger."
@Aldren, Lirana, and Carawyn. you can feel a palatable pulse of energy coming from the circular room. you can tell that if you take the hallway around you will not have to cross the threshold. to examine the wards you will need to step in.
Knowledge (arcane) DC 15 to find out about the runes if you step in.
Aldren explains there is an intense magical energy coming from the circular room (I assume that means the area with the slime/sludge). He grasps his holy symbol and prepares to cast bless. "But I don't understand the glyphs themselves. It, uh, wasn't my area of study. Lirana? Carawyn? Would either of you know?"
"Oh, look, it's a ball room," Carawyn says happily as she sees the circular chamber.
"We don't know. If we don't look at them, how can we know?" the gnome responds distractedly as Aldren asks his question.
@aldren ya man that's fine.
"Sorry, but I didn't think to prepare a casting of Read Magic for the day. So either the wards would have to be in a language that I already know, common, celestial or infernal, or we will have to wait a day for me to be able to cast the spell. We can take the hallway around now and decide what to do about this room later if we do not have the means or abilities to figure it out now."
The half-elf looks unsettled but nods in acceptance of reality. "Well then, that makes for three of us. Let's just be careful and on the lookout for traps. This much magic here...it doesn't feel right. And that damnable music..."
"Runes aside," Laurent says, gazing into the room, "what is this even doing inside of a livery? Most I know of don't come with a warded chamber filled with an offal pool. I'm beginning to think the Silver Ravens kept more than an emergency stash of money here."
The young man sighs and unconsciously scratches his chest and neck.
"Regardless, let me check this outer hallway for traps before we proceed. We had better be extra careful now."
"Quite right, my lord." Aldren's intense expression and tone convey no hint of sarcasm or irony in the honorific. A low grumble in his throat, then a shrug of his shoulders as he shakes off whatever is bothering him and prepares to move forward. "Something foul happened here. Be careful."
Berenice follows Laurent, keeping an eye out for traps herself.
"Oh, wouldn't it be nice if everywhere had magic balls like this one?" Carawyn asks happily as she follows the others, gaze occasionally falling back to look at the room they're leaving.
There appears to be no traps as the party follows along the outer wall. when Carawyn looks inside for a quick glace nothing appears to happen before Carawyn follows along the outer wall also, crawling over some loose debris the music stops. When the party climbs over a some difficult footing. When they do, the party sees what appears to be a previous storeroom with scattered furnishings that once outfitted a bunkroom and a small armory. There appears to be a nest used by a small humanoid creature, and three crates that has a canvas covering them.
Ever cautious, Laurent begins by looking over the room for traps. Once that is complete, he'll see if he can find anything useful here.
While he is inspecting the place for traps, he will look to see if he finds any interesting treasure.
"Hmm, this must be the cache we were told of," he says while he is inspecting the room. "Maybe we can find something in here that will explain the runed abbatoir out there... and look, I don't suppose this is Stellx's nest?"
Berenice follows after Laurent and makes checks of her own.
Aldren stays near the threshold between the hallway and the storeroom. "Careful... whatever was playing that music must still be here, and I don't think it's one of that little flying rat's friends."
Lirana will cast Detect Magic as she looks about the room, wondering if perhaps there is a magical source for the music rather than a mundane musician.
Carawyn continues to hum the strange melody, before suddenly stopping, eyes growing wide.
She quickly, quietly intones a strange cantrip and the nearest piece of debris scuttles away toward the wall and a tidier resting spot.
No one sees anything with a quick look around the room, whatever the creature was it is either gone or hiding.
moving the canvas you see that there are three crates. (I assume someone will check for traps but not necessary it will just slow this down.) when the crates are opened straw is inside the crates after you get through digging inside the crates you find the following.
Crate #1
sharkskin leather armor that radiates magic.
composite shortbow (+1 str)
masterwork hand crossbow
masterwork silver moringstar
another red cloak that radiates magic
12 pearls
Crate #2
a locked chest is found carefully stored inside the crate wrapped in cloth with runes of storage and protection on the outside that protects from Water, acid, age, fire. A fine mithril Lock is on the front.
Crate #3
you find six sliver Raven statues buried in the straw. all radiate magic.
While the others are opening the crates, Aldren is going to thoroughly examine and watch the room.
An excited edge creeps into Laurent's voice as he uncovers the box with the fine mithral lock. "What have we here? Look at this lovely lock. I bet there is something quite nice in side," he says quietly.
Of course, the box could be a decoy, so he carefully checks it for traps before disarming any that he finds. Once that's done, hell take some time to open the lock.
"Wow, there is certainly quite a bit of magic going on here. The red cloak, armor and all six Raven statues glow with magical auras. I wonder what they all do?"