Hal's eyes narrow. He was too cynical to even be surprised at what he saw. "Gotta be some kinda trap."
Rownig frowns at Miagnik and Hal for pushing on by, "Go ahead touch it...see if there's a boom." He grumbles, "If ya'll slow down a bit, I'll take a look otherwise, let me clear the room 'fore ya go settin' off traps."
He is obviously disturbed by those rushing forward.
"Lotsa good th's can do..." His voice trails off.
"No magic? Curses? How old are th' coins?" Hal wasn't buying this as good fortune just yet.
"Seems a shame t'just leave it." Normally the rogue has been quite nonchalant with treasure, not really interested and certainly not tempted by the allure, but this is a bit different - a chest of coins. [b}'some one wanna do some magic on it,"[/b] pointing tot he chest, "see if there's magic involved here?"
With Rownig's suggestion Windel will step forth and cast detect magic and concentrate on the chest and loot inside it.
"An' nothin's gonna happen if we pick it up and move it back to the Ghost King's chamber?"
"Seems safe 'nough to pick up but I don't think the Ghost King will 'prreciate us tomb robbin'"
"B-but what is in the purple sack?" the goblin princess blurts out, obviously attracted to anything bearing such a royal hue… She peers at the lumpy form, attempting to see if a snake or pendant, charm or trap lies within...
Stephanie stands on tip toes to see past the various allies blocking her way to the new attraction. She such in a shocked breath and sets her heels back down wanting to avoid the urge to shove.
"That is quite a lot of gold to just be left lying around. The question I have would be why is it here? Its much newer than most of the things in the tomb, all of the coins were minted in the last few decades. Additionally much of that coinage appears to be of dwarven mint. I think this might be a cache of coins brought here by Omara to serve as payment for any of her living allies. Perhaps it would be better purposed in our hands?"
The gnome asks with a small inflection of pleading, doing her best to silence all the tiny nagging doubts about her assumption. It's so much money after all. We could use that to buy enough help to get this done once and for all. And for some, other things The gnome glances back to Moralane and considers what she might be able to do with a share of such bounty.
With so little attention being paid to him Whiskey barrel gives the owls equivalent of a shrug and flies up the the edge of the chest.
Landing on the edge, whisky inspects the strange coins.
Whiskey in his owls 'wisdom' finds nothing concerning
Inspecting the box and hooting in satisfaction whiskey settles on the purple pouch.
With a short hop from the edge of the box the owl seizes the bag in its talons and flaps to gain some lift so he might take it to an out of the way corner and eat any of the mouse flavored pieces bits.
Stephanie, gobsmacked, stands and watches as her familiar attempts to fly off with a portion of the loot.
"No whisky that doesn't have a mouse in it." Stephanie says looking to the bird still in the midst of flying off. That might have been said too late
"Why is it my constant companion suddenly becomes so willful? he didn't try to run away with unidentified purple pouches before this." Stephaine murmurs to the air, exasperated at her birds antics.
"Should have gotten the Fox.."
Rownig tries to appraise the value of the coins or discern anything additional information. He has not touched the purple sack yet when suddenly Wiskey Barrel lands on the chest hooting and then snatches up the purple bag.
Hal waited to see if the bird turned inside out or started speaking in tongues.
If none prevent the bird from doing so Whiskey barrel flies to an available alcove near the ceiling and uses his surprisingly dexterous talons to open the bag removing anything food like. Anything else he tosses like the refuse he considers it to be.
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When Miagnik's eyes fell onto the chest's contents, his jaw dropped while his heart stopped.
G... Gold!
While the others questioned about whether it was right, wrong, or even safe to take the treasure, Miagnik was too busy imagining how wonderful life would be like with it.
The envious stares he would receive from those who doubted him and shunned him out of his district. The wondrous clothes and other things he could have. Servants at his beck and call. A house of his own, filled with finery and decadent foods he had seen but never been able to afford. Maybe even a throne, with a gold crown on his head... laughing all the while.
In his mind he was doing back flips, while at the same time he was actually looking very dazed and laughing very lightly.
"Heh. Heh heh ha.
He watched as Whiskey Barrel came up to the chest and tried to leave with the purple bag. In his mind; An enormous owl suddenly burst through the shuttered window up above, screeching as it did. It flew down at Miagnik and managed to snatch his crown off his head and knock him and his throne to the ground as his servants panicked and scattered in all directions.
"No, that's mine!
Snapping back to reality, Miagnik rushed forward and jumped at the owl attempting to wrench the bag from its claws, before opening the bag to see what was in it.
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in the real world everyone is treated to the sight of an owl and a goblin fighting over a fancy bag.
It is unfortunately a failure of bird kind as the clever goblin uses his cursed dexterous thumbs to cheat in this contest and move quicker than he of avian ability can.
The owl states in irritation already sizing up said orifices for future use.
Stephaine on the other hand blushes before glaring at her long time animal friend.
" Whiskey! leave Miagnik alone and come over here right now!" the faux-princess snaps as she glares daggers at the over eager bird. "There isn't even a mouse in there and I'm sure that if there was Miagnik would share!" the gnome stops short as she realizes what her words implied, blushing she looks at the goblin. "Not that I think you'd eat questionable mice from a bag. Any mouse for that matter."
With a final glare of irritation Whiskey flies over to his mistresses side.
Miagnik had never seen diamonds up close before. He thought he may have seen them once on a necklace of one of the most well to do Dwarven merchant wives in town. The multifaceted gems caught his reflection and shined wonderfully. Speaking to him of wonders not yet realized.
"Diamonds. Gold and diamonds. Could this get any better?"
His grin was from ear to ear when he looked at Stephanie.
"Me, eat mice from a bag? Ha. Not again, I tried it once. Even cooked it was a bad idea." He blanched just a little at the memory. Then, when he saw Stephanie's, look he continued.
"I mean, it's not like it was my idea or anything. It was all I had at the time. The baker had the rats and asked me to get rid of them, so I did. It wasn't my fault he let the rats get into his flours and spices. At the time; I didn't know they would explode!" He stopped and looked at his reflection again in the diamonds. His expression had darkened somewhat and his tone became indignant. Without seeming to realize it, he slipped back into his native tongue.
He shook his head and obviously came back to the present. His grin returning.
"Anyway, that was the third time I had to leave a town. But it doesn't matter now. I won't be eating like that ever again."
"You were right, Mae. Those skeletons really were guarding something valuable." He looked at the rest of the group. "So what should we do with all of this treasure?"
Maee watches Miagnik and the bird with undisguised glee. Better than a circus troupe! Her joy turns to instantaneous boredom as the pouch's contents are revealed to be entirely mundane.
"Gold. Silver. Copper. Diamonds. Nothing at all of interest." Mae mutters. "Yess, Miagnik. Shiny!" she manages without much conviction.
The royal gobliness looks at her companions.
"I guess with this lode we could go back to the town after all and buy some decent stuff?"
Still not convinced this isn't a trap of some kind, Hal looks around the room.
He looked back at the diamonds in his hands.
"Diamonds... huh? It looks like there's some gold lines on them. Hmm. Regardless, we are so very rich now. Are we still going down?"
Rownig looks a the stones but shakes his head, "purty and valuable is all I can say."
The rogue then begins to explore the room,
Stephanie quirks a brow at Miagnik's words. "That sounds like it could be important, though I can't for the life of me think why."
But any greater implications pass over her head as she begins swiftly calculating the price such things could bring. Books, all the books in the entire kingdom. a kingdom MADE OF BOOKS!
"I can be the print block princess. Czar of scrolls. Queen of quills. So many books" the female states in a whisper to herself.
focusing back on the group Stephanie nos to her sister Well only half but.. its what I think that counts. I hope/
"Yes Mae, we could likely purchase some useful things with that much money. Well if we could find someone to barter such extravagant gems with that is. Finding a buyer would be a serious venture all in itself."
Whiskey barrel on the other hand stands on a convenient perch and glares at the green skinned mage in front of him.
Whiskey mutters to himself as he plots feathered vengeance.
"Y'see it." A simple comment between dwarfs. He then starts to look for the traps,
He stopped talking then, no one seemed to be paying overly much attention to him at the moment. But he didn't mind, he held up the diamond in his hand and peered at the group through its many facets. Multiple images of Stephanie and Maelodakh, Hallister, Windel, and then his gaze hit Atharessa and Moralane...
No one seems to be paying them too much mind...
He stopped and looked at both of them. His head tilted a little when it occurred to him that he hadn't actually bothered to learn much about those two. They had been there the entire time of course, fighting side by side with the rest of the group. One had formed quite an attachment to Stephanie, the other had stoically stood with them.
But what about their motivations?
He studied them through the gem in his hand. Spinning their images around in a kaleidoscopic fashion. He threw the diamond up into the air before catching it and making his way over to those two.
"You know, I've been fighting and exploring this tomb with you two for several days now. But I don't really know very much about either of you. Why are you here?"
Hal backs up to let Rowing work, his axe resting lightly in his hand.
"Stow the talk until we find out if this door is clear." Hal said a little roughly. "Ready up, just in case."
Windel widens his stance and is 15 feet from the doorway but off to one side in order to avoid being a direct target. His Axe in his hand. Sweet Kreescandiq do you sense any nasty spiders in there? Subconsciously his left hand caresses the haft of the weapon, "Ready!"
I’ll tell you all about it later, thanks for asking, but grumpy pants over there is always watching
Moralane hears Atharessa’s comment and adds a whisper of her own
He is not grumpy, he is serious, and because he is serious all of us are still alive, I wouldn’t forget that if I were you.
Rownig glances over his shoulder to Hal and gives a quick nod. He takes a deep steady breath then pushes the door open, with handaxes in hand.
Miagnik just nodded at Hal's gruff interruption and the two's response.
"Later then." He said then turned to face the room beyond. It wasn't much but he had at least learned a little more about their personalities.
Though she was standing several paces away from the door Stephanie shuts her eyes and grimaces at the smell. Oh... why does this place have to have such horrible smells! the gnome thinks as she snaps her cleaning cantrip and puts a sleeve to her nose while she waits for it to work.
"Oh that is a disgusting smell. whines as she attempts to encourage the stench in a direction other than where she is.
"No whiskey you don't want to eat whats in there, you'd get gas, bloat up and explode. the mage states sourly at her newly irritating bird
"Shiny rocks? Whiskey what..."
It is at this moment that Whiskey attempts to fly off and Stephanie seizes her recalcitrant bird by the neck to keep him on the ground
"I just remember what that smell is, Whiskey I forbid you to go in there. That's Jelly rot! There is a hunting ooze down there and it will eat you for lunch! Stephanie states mostly to her bird but easily heard by the others.
The owl whines.
"Smells like bak'n spice cake but with vineg'r...like buttermilk."
"A hunting what now? That doesn't sound," He sniffed in the air and wrinkled his nose. "Or smell good. Should we check it out? If so, I could stick my head in and call a ball of fire to burn it away."
" A hunting ooze is a common deep cavern threat, they come in a variety of colors, shapes and classifications. The most common unifying factors are their lack of intellect, high difficulty to kill and preferred combat method.
Stephanie states evenly gaining a bit of air and waiting a beat
"That combat method being swallowing you whole and you digesting alive with its highly acid body. They happen to love small things like birds because they can't escape."
A certain owl ceases his motions to escape his masters grip
Miagnik stared at Stephanie, a mild look of disbelief crossing his face as he raised a clawed finger.
"If they're so common, then why haven't I heard of them until now? Also, if they don't have any... intellect then they shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?"
He pauses for just a moment then continues but this time more to himself than to her.
"Acidic bodies. Hmm. Acid does burn, though not quite the same as fire, still, I might be able to shield the burn from someone."
He grinned a little to himself before looking back up at Stephanie
"What else can you remember? Hey Hal, get over here! I'm going to shield your body from acid."
"A lack on intellect doesnt preclude a lack of cunning they act on instinct as far as my memory goes but that instinct is both horrible and effective. Typically they don't hunt in above ground areas, why im not really sure but I can only assume its because they are not suited for it. That might be why you dont have much knowledge of them, I only know about them because I followed up on some old myths i read once. Some lore calls that smell Talamunds spice."
Stephanie states as she stands from her prone position now that whiskey had been prevented from flying to his death. She dusts herself off and gives an annoyed look to a single fleck of grit stubbornly sticking to her sleeve.
"As to other things I know that the most relevant legend about oozes is Talamund the well spiced who was such a terrible leader to be the end of a great dynasty in forgotton times. He was cursed with regeneration on behalf of the ancestors he failed and was fed to the mother ooze. To be eternally devoured for his failings as a king. Its said that the reason oozes have their distinctive smell is due to each of them carrying a minute portion of Talamunds cursed and well spiced flesh. Other accounts say hunting oozes originated from the same ruler dying in a great vat of lard. Their hunger spawning from the mans unending gluttony. I doubt either are more than tales but its what springs to mind right now."
Rownig will step away from the open doorway. "So...er, what's this 'bout acid and oozy things? Smells like butt'rmilk to me." He is interested in Stephanie's explanation. "Miagnik sure you can go first." He offers.
"Hmm, sounds pretty bad. Well, alright then Rownig. Maybe I will go first and have a look at what we're dealing with."
Miagnik took a deep breath and called upon his raw magic.
"Tech." A moment later a wash of energy flowed before him and formed a large shield before fading from view.
Next he imagined the searing pain caused from acidic burns. He remembered learning that acid was based in water. His flames would evaporate the acid before it ever touched him. "Kaaren Okaagec."
A low wash of green flames rose up around him before becoming almost imperceptible.
He stepped up to the doorway. "Perhaps I can burn all our problems away."
"What in the Hells are you all doing?" asks Mae, in a vain effort to disguise the fact she has no idea what is going on. She peers in over Miagnik's shoulder and sniffs.
"Is that boar-rind? I'm hungry by the way..." she offers conversationally.
"Ooze's aint good." Hal muttered. "I've faced a couple in tombs, but don't know much about the different kinds. Just that they tend to ignore axes. Recognize what sort this is yet?"
"Lets not go throwing fire around unless we know if it will actually hurt it.
Miagnik shrugged and stuck his head into the doorway, glancing around the room looking for the source of the stench.
Whiskey chooses to chime in
Stephaine steadfastly ignores him with only an annoyed glance to the side she speaks to Maelodakh while keeping an eye on her recalcitrant bird. "No, it is certainly not anything rind. I think I have a trail ration in my pack if you would like." The gnome turns to Hal and smiles Hopefully Hallister can lead the group to the right degree of caution she considers as she wracks her brain and finds little else.
"No, I can't think of much on the particulars of hunting oozes. I might be able to offer more on what it is if I could see it though." With that Stephanie looks at the goblin caster who had just discharged a good chunk of arcane power. I do hope his haste doesn't lead us to a dangerous place. with a hum of thought she nods
"Simply burning it may very well only irritate it Miagnik but I know most oozes are just difficult to kill regardless the method I will let you know if anything sparks my memory when I see it. Conjointly if we clear this creature from the tunnel it inhabits we could likely use this as a second safe zone from the undead."