Mirth seems unconcerned with the corpses or the chests. She leans, wincing, against the door carefully stanching the bleeding wound just below her ribs.
Oh! Radavel:
Snaggletooth goes in front of each of the opened chests to see if anything is left over from the gnomes and creepers.
Then he checks around the center chest for traps.
Then he opens it.
Snaggletooth goes in front of each of the opened chests to see if anything is left over from the gnomes and creepers.
Then he checks around the center chest for traps.
Then he opens it.
The empty chests are indeed empty, but as Snaggletooth approaches the locked central chest, the party sees a creature appear, humanoid in form, but not in visage. It wears robes of black and purple adorned with arcane symbols. Although the creature looks anxiously over its shoulder, it gives no sign of having seen any of you.
It kneels before the chest, hands hidden by the robes. Suddenly, simultaneous blasts of wind buffet it from both sides, although the air in the room does not stir.
The creature stands in panic, but it is already too late. The robes shred and fall, briefly revealing a tentacled face and violet skin before flesh is seared from bone and unidentifiable muscle and organs are destroyed in a heartbeat. Within seconds, a mass of decaying flesh and bleached bones lie before you, then they too collapse to a dark stain and finally to nothing.
No sign remains of the strange creature, nor of who or what might have destroyed it.
Snaggletooth sees no sign of traps.
...No sign remains of the strange creature, nor of who or what might have destroyed it.
"I suggest you ask your new acquaintance about what he knows, most specifically avoid mentioning anything he might decide to bend the truth over," Leo asks Brujo.
"I don't know about you but either that was a warning or a ward telling us to leave that chest alone..." Leo nods to Snaggletooth.
"Anyone need healing?" leo asks.
Snaggletooth just sits there slack-jawed at the vision. Then, visibly upset, he starts cursing in Draconic.
Draconic speakers
He is pacing around and around while he repeats this verbal tirage, not directed at anyone, but just frustrated by the whole situation.
Snaggletooth just sits there slack-jawed at the vision. Then, visibly upset, he starts cursing in Draconic.
Mirth snorts in ironic amusement, then replies in the same tongue.
"Tell ya what, tell my friends here what you and the creepers were up to, and I'll see about leting you go." Brujo looks down at the gnome
"Tell ya what, tell my friends here what you and the creepers were up to, and I'll see about leting you go." Brujo looks down at the gnome
The gnome quails under Brujo's threats.
"Nothing, nothing, nothing. We were trying to find a way to get into the locked chest.
That image is the last victim. It comes back every 24 hours - it's just a phantasm of some kind. We think the torches are trapped somehow and Thoran sent us to try and disable them. He says there must be something useful in the chest. And now if it's all the same to you I think I'll be on my way. It's been nice meeting you."
Snaggletooth just sits there slack-jawed at the vision. Then, visibly upset, he starts cursing in Draconic.
Draconic speakers
** spoiler omitted **He is pacing around and around while he repeats this verbal tirage, not directed at anyone, but just frustrated by the whole situation.
"Its okay Snaggletooth, we aren't going to stop searching until we find him, okay?" Leo whispers as he kneels down close to the kobold.
"Any luck with that gnome Brujo?" Leo calls over looking towards Cronin and Brujo.Looking back Leo ponders what next to say.
"He say they weren't doing anything. He said Thoran sent them to open the chest... They thing the torches are trapped, and something about a phantasm" Brujo shrugs.
"You sure that's everything?" He looks at the gnome
Rev
If the gnome is done spilling his guts Brujo releases him. But I ready an action to attack at the first sign of him alerting others or trying to attack anyone
"That's all I know. Thoran told us to look. We looked. We saw the phantasm and decided to look really carefully. Those torches are the key, but we don't know what they do. Or rather, we do, if the phantasm is anything to go by. On another day in another place I'm sure we'd be friends, but right now, I've had enough of your company."
"He say they weren't doing anything. He said Thoran sent them to open the chest... They thing the torches are trapped, and something about a phantasm" Brujo shrugs.
"You sure that's everything?" He looks at the gnomeIntimidate 1d20+2=14
Rev** spoiler omitted **
"Better bring him in here so he can finish up by helping to open this chest and if he does so we'll let him go as long as its in the opposite direction of his boss..."Leo replies looking up and then at Snaggletooth before looking at the chest.
The gnome glares at Leo. "If you're going to kill me, just do it with a sword. I'm not opening that chest and having myself flayed for your amusement. I'll look at the torches if you like, but I'm not making any promises."
The gnome glares at Leo. "If you're going to kill me, just do it with a sword. I'm not opening that chest and having myself flayed for your amusement. I'll look at the torches if you like, but I'm not making any promises."
"Why not and whilst you're doing that you can shine some of that self-preservation attitude towards explaining why you don't want to open that chest, come on you know you want to show how much smarter you are than us and you get to do it without fear of reprisal since you're doing it to insure we don't force you to open it after all," Leo smiles back completely genial.
The gnome cowers and scurries over to the nearest torch.
"Look here," he says finally. "tiny nozzles coming from the dragon mouths. Amazing work. And before you ask, no, I can't disable them. I'm an arcanist, not a sneak thief."
The gnome cowers and scurries over to the nearest torch.
"Look here," he says finally. "tiny nozzles coming from the dragon mouths. Amazing work. And before you ask, no, I can't disable them. I'm an arcanist, not a sneak thief."
"So all thats required is some means for all of us to be able to pull that chest out of the arc of fire of those torches but not be touched... do we have enough rope and would tying the rope to that chest set off the torches?" Leo openly wonders.
"Perhaps a loose knot like a lasso cast gently so its larger than the chest then gently pulling it tight enough so we can on one go combine our efforts to pull the chest clear... it can be moved from that spot can't it?" Leo asks."And I mean by visual checking rather than the painful tactile checking..." Leo adds thoughfully.
"What about blocking the nozzles with whats available in the other chests, does that set them off? It's just that it might only work briefly but long enough for the chest to be pulled clear unless they can move to compensate for the movement of the chest of course..." Leo nods.
It certainly looks as if the chest can be moved, but it is heavy.
It certainly looks as if the chest can be moved, but it is heavy.
Curiosity piqued by the Gnome's explanation, Mirth moves closer to examine the candles, careful not to touch anything.
Now and again during the course of her study her delicate fingers twitch, and her lips move as though she talks to herself.
Snaggletooth smiles when he hears Mirth suggest his skills. He is calmer now, thanks to Leo and Mirth's comments.
"Stay out of center." He points to the area around the locked chest. "If this go wrong, better just me dead." Once his companions ave done as he said. He begins to work on the torches, and then the chest itself.
Snaggletooth's fears are entirely justified. As he tinkers with the lock, the one remaining undisabled torch sprays a jet of acid at him.
Caustic Blast trap (Ref) (1d20 11=30, 3d8 4=19).
Despite his best efforts to shake off the appalling pain, Snaggletooth cannot prevent the acid eating into his scales. The fate of the Mind Flayer is now all too understandable.
With a whimper, the kobold staggers clear to be greeted by Cronin's reassuring presence.
"Be still." The calm voice is inexpressibly soothing and Snaggletooth feels Cronin's sure hands at work, wiping away the seeping horror from his flesh.
"Stupid trap" Snaggletooth whimpers.
"Try again?" Snaggletooth looks at the others. You can tell he really doesn't want to, but he will if needed to by the look on his face.
"I got most of them, but chest trap is HARD. I try again if want to."
..."Try again?" Snaggletooth looks at the others. You can tell he really doesn't want to, but he will if needed to by the look on his face.
"I got most of them, but chest trap is HARD. I try again if want to."
Mirth appears visibly torn momentarily, then steps forward towards the kobold, her decision made. "I can assist thee," she explains, offering no other details. She kneels down, studying the mechanism up close for a moment, before beckoning for Snaggletooth.
Snaggletooth looks where Mirth was pointing and what she said about the mechanism and thinks he got it licked.
In Draconic
He opens the chest, confident in his abilities.
Snaggletooth looks where Mirth was pointing and what she said about the mechanism and thinks he got it licked.
In Draconic
** spoiler omitted **He opens the chest, confident in his abilities.
With a flourish, Snaggletooth (with a little help from Mirth) disables the lock on the chest and the surrounding traps. No more acid will spray from the dragon's tiny, venomous mouths.
Inside the chest is a wand. Even at a glance, it radiates arcane power. Not for nothing were the arcanists of Spellgard renowned for their prowess in the crafting of magical scepters.
All of you
Brujo looks at the gnome and back at the others. "If we're done here and no one else has questions to ask... um" he looks back at the gnome again "Sorry what's your name?"
"But if we're done I made if a promise he could go"
"One minute you're trying to kill me, the next you want to know my name. What kind of behaviour is that? For what it's worth, my name is Nim. His," pointing to his dead colleague, "was Shirin. I can't tell you what the creepers called themselves."
Snaggletooth looks at the gnome and says, "He only goes back. Nim leaves this place. You hear, Nim. Go back and leave this place. If I see you here again, you die first. " He points to the stairs down.
Mirth will sit quietly for several minutes, studying the sceptre, muttering arcanaries under her breath.
Having the grace to look a mite uncomfortable, she will briefly explain the item's purpose before offering it to the group in general with an enquiringly cocked eyebrow.
She does not concern herself with the fate or name of the gnome, instead choosing to close her eyes briefly, savoring the calm before the storm.
"One minute you're trying to kill me, the next you want to know my name. What kind of behaviour is that? For what it's worth, my name is Nim. His," pointing to his dead colleague, "was Shirin. I can't tell you what the creepers called themselves."
"Not trying to kill you Nim. I already said that. The creepers and there friends have been trying to kill us since we got here. If I were you or your I would havemade it know I was a noncombatant as soon as this started."
"I apologize for what happened to Shirin, but I think it smart for you to go. And whatever you do don't pay attention to the rat-liz... Kobold. All bark no bite"
Nim nods slightly. "Leaving suits me fine. Out of the tower suits me fine. Away from here suits me even better. I'll be off."
He heads towards the stairs. "If it's kobolds you're after, there are plenty upstairs. Singing."
Seconds later, he's gone.
Nim nods slightly. "Leaving suits me fine. Out of the tower suits me fine. Away from here suits me even better. I'll be off."
He heads towards the stairs. "If it's kobolds you're after, there are plenty upstairs. Singing."
Seconds later, he's gone.
"Singing? Snaggletooth you don't think...?" Leo asks.
Mirth will sit quietly for several minutes, studying the sceptre, muttering arcanaries under her breath.
Having the grace to look a mite uncomfortable, she will briefly explain the item's purpose before offering it to the group in general with an enquiringly cocked eyebrow.
She does not concern herself with the fate or name of the gnome, instead choosing to close her eyes briefly, savoring the calm before the storm.
"Wands' are usually the province of wizards unless someone else can make use of it I suspect you're the only one who can," Leo nods back.
"One minute you're trying to kill me, the next you want to know my name. What kind of behaviour is that? For what it's worth, my name is Nim. His," pointing to his dead colleague, "was Shirin. I can't tell you what the creepers called themselves.""Not trying to kill you Nim. I already said that. The creepers and there friends have been trying to kill us since we got here. If I were you or your I would havemade it know I was a noncombatant as soon as this started."
"I apologize for what happened to Shirin, but I think it smart for you to go. And whatever you do don't pay attention to the rat-liz... Kobold. All bark no bite"
"I'd watch out for the wights, the zombies but hopefully that will only happen if you try to break into the crypts down there, however watch out for halflings as they're quite vicious out there," Leo adds.
Nim nods again at Leo's words. "Funnily enough, I wasn't planning on opening up a crypt all by myself, but thanks for the warning."
Snaggletooth glares at Brujo for a sec, then thinks better of it. "All bark, no bite" he thinks to himself. "You should know me better by now. Blue flame elf is moody, might start something and I not ready for him....yet."
Aloud, all he says is "Rest now." amd goes in a corner and takes a break.