Jeanne d'Eon
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"I suppose Keandre is right, there isn't any need to harm this creature." Jeanne reaches into the basket and pulls out the keys.
I fear no poison! What's the worst that could happen ;)
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
"Hey guys! Watch this!"
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Jeane reaches in and pulls out the bejeweled key!
snakebite v Jeanne (AoO, note there is no 'shield bonus' inside the basket): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 damage: 1d2 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 0 Miss!
The snake hisses and strikes at her but only hits armor.
Round 2
The Bold May Act!
_________________
__ Jeanne
__ Snake (readied)
Map updated
Jeanne d'Eon
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I figured my shield wouldn't apply in the basket.
Jeanne sets the jeweled key on the red chest, then reaches in for the brass key. "Iomedae commands her chosen not to shirk from danger, after all."
There's no way this can end in tragedy.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
The jeweled key is also brass (it is the "brass jeweled key" that came out of the glass jar). There is another key inside of the linen basket, revealed by all the knocking about. That one seems to be blue, and made--of all things--stone.
Jeane reaches in and pulls out a second blue stone key! It's smooth and mottled like marble.
snakebite v Jeanne (AoO, no shield): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 damage: 1d2 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1 Miss! *CLANG!*
snakebite v Jeanne (Readied, no shield): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15 damage: 1d2 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1 Miss! *CLANG!*
The snake strikes repeatedly but it's fangs find no gap in Jeanne's armor.
Combat (probably) over.
We will put that on your tomb stone! :)
I guess this time it's ham, onion, and pineapple going on instead.
Annuit
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"Well done, Jeanne!" Annuit takes the keys and attempts to open the locked containers in the room.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
"Well done, Jeanne!" Annuit takes the keys and attempts to open the locked containers in the room.
Are you just using keys at random?
Annuit
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I will examine the keys and keyholes first to try to determine which fits where based on their size/shape. Also I never got a response on my detect magic once Jeanne opened the basket again- was that key magic? Based on the information from that I would also try to determine the best fit. If I can't figure out which key goes where then yes I will try them at random.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
All the keyholes look alike, and the two keys look like they would fit any of them though their teeth are all different.
The blue stone key radiates faint magic, it also has a little round rune etched into its teeth that looks like the rune floating above the lock to the red chest.
Annuit
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knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
"This blue key is radiating transmutation magic. But it looks like it fits into the red chest, so let's try it and see." When everyone is ready, he attempts to open the chest.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
Annuit moves to the red chest and slides the key into the lock. Before he can turn it the latch pops open. Inside is a gaudy jeweled scepter the tip of its crown is fashioned into the shape of large skeleton key--too large to fit any of the chests.
Kendre perception (+2 stone): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Annuit perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Lars perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
About 6 minutes have elapsed since the party arrived in the room.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
About 8 minutes have elapsed.
Keandre Glasmiter
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The dwarf does not seem to notice anything out of the ordinary about the scepter.
Annuit
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appraise: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Since the fancy key is too big for anything, Annuit sets it aside for now. He tries the other key in the other locked chest.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
So, to recap.
Aside from the containers on the map page you have a bejeweled brass key, and a scepter with a key for its tip that doesn't seem to go to any of the chests.
Annuit picks up the jeweled brass key and tries it in the closest box--the copper-bound chest.
And finally, trickery and deceit here!
pointing to the copper bound wooden chest
As the key slides into the lock the whole chest fades from view into an insubstantial wire-frame outline for a moment. By their reactions no one else seems to notice. The chest is an illusion, the image of a copper-bound wooden chest and nothing more.
The key doesn't work.
Lars Ullrich
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This scepter looks like a joke. Maybe we should try to use it on that joke of a chest? In doubt, try each key on each chest. Oe of them is bound to open something
Lars shows the chest with illusionnary magic.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
1d20 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 4 = 9
To Lars' surprise the scepter makes an audible *thunk* noise when he bashes the too large key into into the copper-bound chest's lock....
Annuit
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"The chest is an illusion!" Annuit sighs in frustration. "So where does that leave us? Where else could there be a map in here? Inside the snake? Inside the scepter? Let me take a look at that."
He checks the scepter for signs of being hollow.
perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Jeanne d'Eon
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"So much effort spent that could have been better elsewhere. Why not just give us the map and save the time?" Jeanne takes the keys and tries both on the stone chest.
Keandre Glasmiter
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The inquisitor will look at the ceiling and at the floor to see if perhaps the map is there.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
"The chest is an illusion!" Annuit sighs in frustration. "So where does that leave us? Where else could there be a map in here? Inside the snake? Inside the scepter? Let me take a look at that."
He checks the scepter for signs of being hollow.
It is hollow, but many scepters are, however in looking closely at the gaudy thing he notes something curious in the polished reflection. There is a little opening in the ceiling above the red chest and hanging from a string from that opening is a gold key.
The ceiling is 15' high and key is suspended only a few inches down from it.
"So much effort spent that could have been better elsewhere. Why not just give us the map and save the time?" Jeanne takes the keys and tries both on thestone[steel] chest.
One after the other Jeanne tries the keys in the metal cube's keyhole--the keyhole that shown of magic. The magicked blue stone key that unlocked the red chest without so much as a twist fits the keyhole but doesn't turn. Instead there is whoosh of magic that erupts from the locking mechanism bathing those in a 10 foot radius with it's eldritch power.
Jeane, try the gaudy bejeweled key next? Wait to try the new gold key? Or something else? The scepter key clearly does not fit.
Jeanne d'Eon
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Will, DC 11: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Jeanne blinks and frowns. "Seems our osiriani hosts have a sense of humor." She sighs and looks at the key hanging from the ceiling. "Anyone have a ladder?"
Annuit
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will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
+2 if it's an enchantment, not that it matters.
"What the? What a mess!"
Lars Ullrich
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Will save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Lars own stupid, bullying, stubborn brain is too much for some spelljoking. But he can't help grinning when he sees Jeanne and Annuit's skins becoming blue
Ah... don't let that failure getting Under your skin. You don't have to feel too blue about it.
Keandre Glasmiter
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I know that this is taking a bit long, Jeanne d'Eon, but there is no need to get sad and blue about the situation. remarks the dwarf.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
*Cough*
There is a little opening in the ceiling above the red chest and hanging from a string from that opening is a gold key.
The ceiling is 15' high and key is suspended only a few inches down from it.
Keandre Glasmiter
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The dwarves inquisitor's eyes catch the hole in the ceiling and he points out. Perhaps some of the taller people would be able to deal with the height prerequisites of getting the golden key. suggests the dwarf.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
All the furniture is on the map.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
Lars tries to move the steel cube
It's heavy for its size (75 lbs) but it moves.
Lars shoves the red chest aside moves the steel one in place beneath the gold key.
Lars Ullrich
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Lars puts his shield down, climbs on the steel cube, and tries to reach the key, either by hand or with his sword,
Lars is 5'11
Jump? (Armor penalty): 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 5 - 2 = 9
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
Lars jumps as high as one might expect a man raised on potatoes and mayonnaise could.
Standing on the chest and jumping you need to beat a DC 12, without the chest it is a DC 20. For some reason, stacking the steel chest on top of the copper-bound one does not lower the DC any more. Go figure.
Lars Ullrich
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White men can jump!: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 2 = 23
Stubborn and quite angry at his first failure, Lars jumps again, gaining tremendous height this time, nearly banging his head on the ceiling
Got it! Least we could say is that I rised to the occasion, by Gorum's ever-bloody blade!
Lars Ullrich
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Haven't seen you even trying to get that key...
Lars seems ready to make an angry and probably crude remark, when Jeanne takes the key from his hands. The Gorumite gets right in her face
I ask for a duel with you, woman, as soon as this mission is finished. Nothin" lethal, of course. Just spanking you with the flat of my blade if I can. Are you willing to fight?
Keandre Glasmiter
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If only we had a halfling or gnome, we could make a pyramid where their vertically challenged condition would be of use
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
The chest opens revealing a map of the Salhar burial vaults beneath Sothis and a polished wood and brass wand shaped like (you guessed it) a key!
About 11 minutes have passed.
Annuit
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spellcraft to identify: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Annuit inspects the key wand but is unable to determine what its purpose is.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
Got jeweled key from glass container (and later the wicker basket).
Got magical rune-carved blue stone key from the wicker basket.
Got an angry snake somewhere on the floor also from the the wicker basket.
The magical rune-carved blue stone key magically opened the red lacquered chest with the magical runes floating about it.
Inside the red lacquered chest with the magical runes floating about it was a gaudy scepter with a big key on the business end. The key is too big for any of the real or imagined chest locks.
Apparently no one noticed but there was a gold key hanging from the ceiling for some time. That key was retrieved by Lars and used to open the steel cube.
The steel cube (whose magicked lock turns people nearby blue) contained a stick shaped like a key even bigger than the tip of the scepter, and set of maps--these seem to be the very maps you are here to retrieve.
Lars and Annuit remain at loggerheads over the reality/irreality of the still-shut, copper-bound wooden chest.
12 minutes have passed.
At this point, it occurs to some of the party members that this might be some sort of test....
Keandre Glasmiter
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Spellcraft 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Give me a look here at that item says the inquisitor.
Wand of Knock. [B] he says [b] Arcane
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
Keandre Usually you need to be able to see the item's magical aura first-hand (usually via detect magic) in order to identify the item them. As you don't seem to have that spell you would not normally be able to use that function of spellcraft. I'll hand-wave it today, but that's one of the major reasons why folks take detect magic.
13 minutes.
Annuit
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Just making sure I understand- so now we have the maps and the wand can get us out of the room, is that right? If so...
"Let me see that." Annuit takes the wand from Keandre and points it at the door.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
The command phrase is "skeleton key".
Annuit
|
"Skeleton key," states Annuit with more confidence than he is really feeling.
| The World's Most Interesting GM |
CL check: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20
The door creaks opens.