Fairwind is shaking her head and muttering about, "Damn adventurers and doors"
Snaggletooth's luck and finely honed senses both hold. He identifies a variety of pressure plates, but avoids them all. Calling on all his skills, he triumphantly unlocks the far door.
When the group are ready to move on, they can do so without further fear of harm from this room.
Snaggletooth
The leather pouch contains a set of six thin sheets of alabaster cut with geometric precision. They resemble a child's puzzle that can be assembled to make shapes.
Cronin and Snaggletooth return triumphantly to the room with desecrated altar, happy to report their careful construction of a safe passage onwards when the group are rested.
Snaggletooth looks at the group, "Sorry for setting off trap. I knew scary dead thing must keep some treasure somewhere, why not death box home, opps, I mean coffin?" He looks at Perigia, "Nice fire lady set box on fire without checking first. Someone always need to check for treasure." He looks as embarassed as you have seen him. "Should have checked for traps, first, though. Sneaky kobolds use all kinds of traps, even water trap like that. Sorry." He looks down for a couple of seconds like he is thinking about his mistakes. Then his face lights up. "But look what I find in coffin! Some kind of puzzle pieces, I think" He shows them to the rest of the group. "Why scary dead thing have puzzle pieces? He get bored a lot, maybe? He need to play game or something?"
"A moment guys. We need to rest."
Snaggletooth starts to sit down next to Caine, when he acts like he forgot something. He moves back into the previously flooding room and careful to avoid known trap squares, checks each skeletal remains for anything he might have missed.
"Good work, Snaggletooth. Could have used you on the siege of the Storm Horns."
<Inspiring Warlord, remember>
"What happen there?" Snaggletooth perks up and can't control his euthasium. "Big battle?"
"Yeah, a big one. Lots of blood."
Snaggletooth's careful search reveals yet another pressure plate close to the coffin. The bones themselves have only the rusting armour and weapons they wore when they animated, apart from the pile containing the bones of the leader.
Snaggletooth
The kobold's quick eyes spot a tarnished silver chain set with a small blue stone.
Rev
Snaggletooth
You will need to have someone with Arcana run an eye over it to see if it's magical or just pretty.
Snaggletooth looks at the group, "Sorry for setting off trap. I knew scary dead thing must keep some treasure somewhere, why not death box home, opps, I mean coffin?" He looks at Perigia, "Nice fire lady set box on fire without checking first. Someone always need to check for treasure." He looks as embarassed as you have seen him. "Should have checked for traps, first, though. Sneaky kobolds use all kinds of traps, even water trap like that. Sorry." He looks down for a couple of seconds like he is thinking about his mistakes. Then his face lights up. "But look what I find in coffin! Some kind of puzzle pieces, I think" He shows them to the rest of the group. "Why scary dead thing have puzzle pieces? He get bored a lot, maybe? He need to play game or something?"
Leo takes a peek.
"Looks more like something Perigia or maybe Cronin could help you with," Leo suggests wondering what Snaggletooth was holding.
As the others mingle together, Brujo practices, barefoot, with his blade. A trail of green flame trails behind each swing. His boots lay lay stone trying to dry out.
As he practices each swing of his blade sours his mood more. His mind still scattered after the fight with Brathus. One side sorrowful after the attack on Leo and the others. Another side upset about the fact that his secret is out and still angered at the kobold. Still yet another paniced that they group will betray, sell him to hunters or worse.
The voices say run, others say to trust them, but one says to finish them off while there still weak. "No survivors, no worries"
As he battles with his demons he notices the kobold holding pieces of something. "I wonder what trouble the sneaky rat has brought", he thinks to himself
Rev
I looked back at some of my previous post and Leo was prone and conscious during the when I used my spellplague powers on Brathus.
Can Brujo make out the puzzle and make an arcane check from far off?
Cronin peers at the "puzzle pieces."
"Sorry, Snaggletooth, I don't know. Perigia?"
Brujo
Right, I'll spoiler something up for Leo. As far as the identification goes, you can sense it's magical at a distance. I can't remember what distance and I've just packed my DMG, but I'm happy enough to allow it. To get more information on the thing you need to hold it though.
Leo
You saw Brujo out himself as a spellscarred during the fight with Barthus. He flamed blue and developed a new power. Since you were prone and distracted at the time, you might not have realised all the implications then, but I'm guessing you might have done by now.
Brujo knows that the puzzle pieces are magical. They could be anything at this distance, but they don't seem evil at all.
Brujo groans as his curiousity finally gets the best of him, "Snaggletooth, may I see those pieces you have?"
He motions for the kobold to come over.
Snaggletooth looks at Brujo curiously. "Blue flame elf, you know about puzzles?" He brings the pieces over to Brujo. "Can you make sense of them?" He lays them out, so Brujo can see them clearly.
"Friend Brujo," Cronin says quietly. "When you have a moment . . ." He gestures toward a corner of the room.
Caine exhales and proceeds to relax.
Brujo** spoiler omitted **
Leo** spoiler omitted **
Brujo knows that the puzzle pieces are magical. They could be anything at this distance, but they don't seem evil at all.
Leo shrugs out of his armour and rests up having fatigued himself in the last couple of bouts.
He'll make a point of setting aside time to pray to his god before bedding down.
Perigia gathers some dry wood and kindles a small, smokeless fire. "Come over here and get dried off guys," she says.
Perigia gathers some dry wood and kindles a small, smokeless fire. "Come over here and get dried off guys," she says.
"Ooh thank you, even though I wasn't caught in that room I still feel terrible... might be the after effects of that vampire's mind control, hope I can shrug its effects off by the time we're ready to move on," Leo thanks Perigia as he moves his things closer rubbing his hands together once he's seated again.
"So any ideas what Snaggletooth has found Brujo?" Leo asks.
"No clues yet, just give me a minute with them and I should figure it out" Brujo's mind feels almost at ease being distracted by the puzzle.
Brujo motions for the kobold to give him a moment with them and makes his way to the shifter. "You called"
Snaggletooth, not caring about the puzzle pieces, leaves them with Brujo and moves to join the others by the fire.
Snaggletooth, not caring about the puzzle pieces, leaves them with Brujo and moves to join the others by the fire.
"Thanks Snaggletooth, Brujo needs something to take his mind off what happened in that battle with that vampire," Leo thanked the kobold keeping his voice down to avoid reaching Brujo's hearing.
Caine produces a silver flask and uncorks it. One may think that it is liquor but no, it is water from his home, Cormyr. A smile crosses his face as the liquid extinguishes his thirst.
Cronin speaks in a low voice to Brujo:
Perigia huddles close to the fire. Looking at her,it is cear that the battle with the vampires and the skeletons has disturbed her more than she is letting on.
|
Brujo's eyes widen as he speaks with the shifter.
I was still a child when the Blue Fire came. In moments Thay was changed. Until that day Thay thrived. The trees and waters that dotted the land were beautiful. I think the only thing that made me smile during my servitude was my lords beautiful garden.
When the spellplague hit though everything changed. People literally melted from the touch of it. The land turned foul and the skies rained blood. I watched as my lord and otherservants turned into beasts of chaos. Blobs of rage meant only to kill. I saw as plants tore them selves free of the ground to feed on passers by.
And that was only the first days of it. By the time the effects settled Thay was on top a plateau. It was left barren, infested only by the undead and infected. Did you know out of all of Thay only one place is safe for the living now?
The 'plague' still ravages the world today. I can feel it deep inside. Waiting, changing. I've seen the mental and physical chanes the Plaguechanges have been through. Turned into monsters, rarely remembering themselves or their past lives. I've seen a Spellscarred turn into one. Not a pleasant sight.
Do you have any idea what it's like to like this. Knowing that even if try your best you could accidently spread youur curse."
Brujo tries his best to reign in his emotions. He moves his attention from Cronin back to the puzzle in hand.
Brujo's eyes widen as he speaks with the shifter.
** spoiler omitted **
Brujo tries his best to reign in his emotions. He moves his attention from Cronin back to the puzzle in hand.
Cronin seems about to reply, but seeing Brujo change focus, thinks better of it.
"You okay, fire-lady?" Snaggletooth speaks up. "You no look so hot."
He thinks for a second, "You don't like dead things either, huh? Ugly, nasty dead things are bad, yes, but not bad as sneaky creepers. Dead things don't blow up when you kill them." He shudders, remembering the fight with the dark creepers. "I have sword now. I am mighty warrior, too. Those creepers better look out next time we meet them." It almost sounds like Snaggletooth is trying to convince himself of that.
Brujo
Made of alabaster, like the pillars, these are ancient pieces of craftsmanship. After concentrating on them for a little while, you understand that they are a form of key, designed to open runic locks. While not magical themselves, they may well be essential to your continued journey.
At the moment Leo is warming himself by the fire Perigia's generously stoked and resting up as his clothes and armour dry.
Brujo's eyes widen "I think... no", he falls back into his sorrowful mood. His hand continue to play with the puzzle.
"Cronin if you'll excuse, my clothes are still especially my boots are still soaked from earlier. I should take advantage of the fire while I can."
Brujo stands and goes to grab his boot. As moves to go to the fire his light up once more "I got it!"
His excitment breaks the gloom. He walks to the fire, a smile on his face, and sets his boots.
"It's a kind of key, used to open runic locks. While not the same there was tomb in Thay that used a similar kind of lock and key system."
Brujo's eyes widen "I think... no", he falls back into his sorrowful mood. His hand continue to play with the puzzle.
"Cronin if you'll excuse, my clothes are still especially my boots are still soaked from earlier. I should take advantage of the fire while I can."
Brujo stands and goes to grab his boot. As moves to go to the fire his light up once more "I got it!"
His excitment breaks the gloom. He walks to the fire, a smile on his face, and sets his boots.
"It's a kind of key, used to open runic locks. While not the same there was tomb in Thay that used a similar kind of lock and key system."
"Perhaps that vampire had been the keeper of that key when he was alive possibly the one thing his turning couldn't force him to give up?" Leo openly wonders.
"Anyway you better warm youself by the fire before you catch a cold," Leo advises.
Snaggletooth smiles and stands up a little higher. You can tell he is proud of himself for something. "This make things easier, yes?" He looks at Perigia and nods his head. "And that's why you search for treasure before setting fire."
"I would see what is beyond Barthus's crypt. What he held dear we should know."
Rested and feeling possibly more optimistic since the discovery of the key, you return cautiously to the room containing Barthus's final resting place. Skillfully avoiding the trapped floor plates, you discover that the door, while stiff from long disuse, is perfectly functional.
Before you lies another stretch of corridor, leading slightly upwards. Lit torches line the walls at regular intervals. As you look, you see that the signs of damp and mildew fall away further up the passage. The stone here is dressed and workmanlike, clearly ancient, but built for functionality rather than beauty. If you had to guess, you would think that you had found a route into the basement of the Tower of Spellgard itself.
The excitementhe feels over figuring out the puzzle key quickly fades. as he sits near the fire his eyes dart between Cronin and Leo. Deep down he feels, he knows he should apoligize for earlier, but the words never come.
Between feelings of guilt and hated, and the yapping of the rat-thief Brujo's head pounds as they pack up and head back to Barthus' crypt.
Pulling a loose cloth from his sack he ties a knot in it and slips it over his nose. The damp, mildewy odor is overpowering.
"With all the undead things, dark ones or kobolds running around you'd thing one of them would clean up once in awhile. But I guess when you're dead or lack the hygiene of a 'normal' person it's to expected."
Cronin is ready to proceed down the tunnel, his sharp sense of smell notwithstanding.