Old padlocks. You could probably knock them off with a hand axe.
"Could be something to help us move these inside. Or we could just take the best stuff and get out. Wil, do you think you could move these underwater?"
It's a swim of over 100 ft. At 15 ft. per round, that's 7 rounds, assuming no one fails a check.
"I can easily break those locks off. Maybe we loot them here, if there is anything that would be damaged in the water, we can consolidate it to one chest?"
Jym's logic is probably sound -- the rot in the wood of the chests, and the verdigris on the brass fittings, implies a long time spent in the damp.
"I can easily break those locks off.
"Yes," Jym says. "Do that."
And then Uro do that. Does that, even.
"Doubt I could drag those out, but I'll check the route anyway."
While the others are fooling around with the chests, Gwl takes a swim to see where the other tunnel leads, the one with the strong sea current.
Unless Gwl finds a way to pull the chests through the tunnels, Uro will does that. Do it even.
The chests are easily broken open. The first is filled with old, tarnished coins -- obviously a smugglers' cache: 1500 silver rials and 7500 copper maravedis, if anyone is OCD enough to sit there and count them all.
The second contains a number of rotting sacks. 10 of these contain 100 gold escudos each; the remaining two hold small assorted gems (a DC 20 Knowledge: Lore check indicates a likely value of 250 gp per bag of gems).
The third chest contains 8 potions of various kinds, a wand, and a small jade coffer (DC 20 Lore says it's worth 300 gp).
Looking for any excuse to delay the swim back, Jym inspects the two bags of gems, the potions, and the wand.
Korynne looks over the bounty, running a hand over the coins with barely concealed pining. She tries to figure out the magic in the wand and pays only passing attention to the jade coffer, having no idea whether it could be worth anything. "Any of those potions seem useful for getting this stuff out of here?"
Jym grokks the value of the gems right off the bat -- maybe they resemble a set his second cousin Ruthie was once accused of stealing? He's less successful with the potions until the last one, at which point he realizes the problem -- he can't identify them because they all smell like salt water and mildew. Apparently the seals weren't quite up to their long stay in the damp.
The wand remains a mystery, unless someone wants to try and activate it blindly (automatic success if the spell is on your class list, or DC 20 Spellcraft if not).
I have no idea what ledger Korynne is examining.
Since I'm getting all into pictures, a jade coffer.
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they all smell like salt water and mildew. Apparently the seals weren't quite up to their long stay in the damp.
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"What's in the green box?" Uro will open the coffer unless somone else is handling it.
The coffer is lined with velvet; sitting in the velvet, like a crown jewel or something, is an ugly brown pebble that looks like someone found it in a gravel pile somewhere. There's also a miniature scroll, almost like the fortune from a fortune cookie.
The scroll reads: "Earthe Elemental Gem. Just throe onto earthe or rocke."
"Are those e's on purpose or are they just flourishes?" Korynne wonders aloud as she fiddles with the wand. She points out at the wall and wills it to function, hoping for the best.
Nothing happens.
- 2 bags of gems - Uro
- wand - Uro
- 5 bags of gold - Uro
- chest filled with silver and copper - Uro
- the other 5 bags of gold - Uro
- earth elemental gem - Uro
- empty coffer - Uro
Uro stares blankly at Jym. "You know one of us can actually breath under water, right?"
"But you're so big!"
Unfortunately, most of it -- over 100 ft. by the shortest route -- is totally underwater even at low tide.
"Ok, back the way we came, then. First Uro, since he can see in the dark. Then the loot, then me, then Korynne. I've mentally prepared myself for the dry heaves!"
Before you swim off, remember that Uro and Gwl -- the strong swimmers -- more or less dragged Jym and Korynne through the underwater tunnels. If they're burdened with loot instead, Jym and Korynne will have to swim on their own, and if they fail, the strong cross-current is likely to drag them out to sea.
That would work!
Hoisting the loot up through the trapdoor, using Uro's rope, is something that is easily accomplished by anyone trained in Disable Device. Dragging the loot down to the boat is even easier. The hard part is when you stow it on whatever rented boat you took to Parrot Island and then cast off -- because none of you have any idea how to sail a boat.
Coming out to Parrot Island, you could have left from the nearest point on Shadowshore, and rowed straight across. If you do that on the way back, you're left on foot in Shadowshore with piles of loot and no way to haul them back home. If you try and row to your part of town, with Uro rowing, you can make good progress, but the problem is that the currents in the bay are tricky, resulting in you rowing in the wrong direction half the time -- you could potentially end up rowing in circles until you get too tired to row, and then maybe drift out to sea. You sure wish Tombrose hadn't shipped off!
"Best not try and ship this ourselves. Sit tight and I'll be back with someone who knows how to row."
Gwl is planning to swim back and hire someone to navigate and row. A small fishing vessel should do just fine.
Gwl accomplishes this business quickly -- the swimming because of his nature, and the renting of a boatsman by hiding his face and showing is money, instead of the other way around.
Assume you're all back at the inn (except Korynne who feels compelled to join a religious crusade and immediately departs for that).
Uro sits by the fire of the inn, his armor off as he tries to dry the sea water that has saturated it.
"Well we know that we've got to get to the Taxidermists Hall. But Penkus described it as the heart of the Louts in his note. I don't think those lotus folks are going to be very welcoming."
"Too bad we're not likely to get a watchman down to see Penkus' body and note. Then we could just have Vanthus arrested!
"Or maybe ARRRRRRRested, if he were a pirate, but he's not. But he's hired pirates! So, that's why this is relevant."
Jym taps his chin as he talks. "If Penkus had friends in this lotus society, maybe we could get one of them down to see the body and note. Or even just the note! We might want to move the body so that nobody has to deal with those urchins, though."
But Penkus described it as the heart of the Louts in his note.
"I know where the entrance to it is. Those idiots that jumped me in Dead Dog Alley tried to escape there. From what they told me, the entrance can flood. Maybe we should go look and I'll surprise them by not drowning."
"Then we should definitely use the non-obvious entrance that the Lotus insiders use. Nothing could go wrong with that idea."
There's an elf in the main room of the inn, watching your strategy meeting with some interest -- although it's hard to tell with her unfathomable sea-green eyes. There are very few elves in Sasserine, especially outside of the Nobles' District, and it's unlikely that any of you are really sure what their social protocols are , assuming this one approaches you (or you do likewise).
Elebrin considers the strangers. The road to this inn at this time had been fraught with awkward conversations, threats of violence and a more than a few misunderstandings. It was shockingly difficult to escape the Nobles' District and find good information about where to find work or groups of people who might need the aid of a fledgling wizard. I have no interest in apprenticing to some maker of youth defying potions on the district's edge.
Elebrin lets her gaze wander over the mismatched group at the fire, allowing her lips to purse slightly as she watches. She was probably being rude. Her mother certainly wouldn't have approved of this 'strange' decision to leave the district and find work but for the wizard it made sense. Experience equals resources which equals power. One does not become sidhe in a library...but still...
She had heard this group was up to something that might be of interest. Nothing solid just ephemeral rumor. Comings and goings. Coins here and there...Elebrin hoped that some answer might revel itself if she watched the group just a moment longer...
"Too bad Korynne took off!" I can't make heads or tails of this wand, and she--well, I supposed this thicker end could be considered the'tail' of the wand, and this thinner part could be considered the 'head,' but now I wish I hadn't used that 'heads or tails' colloquialism when I'd started this sentence (is it still the same sentence? Yes, this parenthetical aside, I think so), because you can never tell with magic wands which is the business end just from its relative thickness, which makes me wonder if Korynne was just holding it backwards when she tried to trigger it."
Jym flips the wand over so that he's holding it from the other end.
"Oh, I see! She should be glad that that wasn't the issue with her failed trigger, or she would have received the brunt of the discharge! Look at that! That could have been messy, and what with us on the other side of those urchins! Anyway, back to what I was (almost) originally saying, we shouldn't assume that wands have heads and tails based on which end is tapered, because of safety reasons. And if we're talking about people, that could lead to awkward situations if you encounter someone who's tapered at the wrong end. Obviously, I know someone from Greenfields who fits that description, but I was more worried about Gwlybwr, here. If he continues to transform, who knows what sort of socially awkward assumptions could be retroactively made. I guess I should have a standing 'no offense' clause in place for you, Gwlybwr. That would be pretty prudent, I think."
Jym absently twirls the wand through his fingers for a few minutes as he ponders what horrific forms Gwlybwr might someday take.
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"If you don't know how to use that thing then you should put it down." Uro gestures to Jyms majorette routine with the wand.
"Maybe we could hire a wizard or something to identify it for us."
"Can't blame Korynne for leaving. Those tunnels were a nightmare and she almost died in them - twice. Probably says some unflattering things about our mental states that we're still here, doesn't it? I'm all for hiring a new magic-o-mancer. Strictly speaking, neither of you are bookish blokes, and translating my journal is going to take one."
Gwl glances at the out of place elf for the fifth time and nods his head towards her. "Not sure what she's doing in here, but that elf has been giving me the iron eye for the better part of this chat. Not sure if the rumors about elfsight are true, but I'd rather not have her see through my guise and rouse the guard. Jym, you better go work your charm on here while I make myself scarce. I'll meet you upstairs later."
Elebrin considers the group and almost gasps at the halflings reckless use of the wand. Gods only know what the activation command for that thing is.
Coming to her feet almost unconsciously Elebrin begins to open her mouth and then promptly shuts it. Snorting to herself she moves forward to the group sitting across the way, Magic! The elf can feel her cheeks creeping red at the sudden outburst. What was THAT?!? Talk girl...
Elebrin clears her throat and lowers her voice, I...couldn't help but overhear that you might need help with magic. I'm...that is to say...I know....some things...about it. And...could you please stop waving that wand around like that! Elebrin's own eyes widen in shock at her sudden intensity but she decides to go with it and offers a short nod as though to confirm to herself it was the right thing to say...
And...could you please stop waving that wand around like that!
Jym nearly drops the wand in surprise, catches it, holds it up in the air triumphantly, and then becomes briefly annoyed at Uro plucking the wand from his fingers.
"I like your leather coat!" he says to Elebrin. "What's your name? Mine's Jym. I heard you were staring at Gwlybwr. Are you... interested?"
Elebrin finds herself thrown off by the coat comment, "Ah..er...thanks." Regaining her composure the elf clears her throat gently, "Well I'm looking for work, as it were, and you seem to need help, of a certain kind and...I...I wasn't staring at any one of you." Elebrin furrows her brow, "I'm Elebrin. Pronounced El-uh-brin."
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Gwl slinks out of the inn before he draws any more attention.
He hurries down to the harbor shallows and scours the sand for shellfish. Clutching his catch, he returns to the inn and climbs onto the roof, where he passes the time cracking mussels and tossing the shells at passing vagrants. Once he hears voices from their room, he slips in through the window.
The big orc nods. "Good to meet you Elebrin." Uro grabs the wand from Jym (unless Jym pulls it away or something) "Any idea what this does?"
Elebrin takes the offered wand and considers it a moment, intoning the cantrip to detect magic so that she might learn more about it...
Elebrin:
You can activate it from now on as a standard action. Also, roll to confirm your critical skill check!
Elebrin murmurs to herself and then starts to speak louder as she confimrs more details, Yes I know the spell. It creates an armor of magical effect. Often called "Mage Armor" withing the spellcasting community...I think it has 11? uses left? YEs that should be right...
