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Silana silently observes the exchange between the charismatic Quioxti and the information broker, her face betraying no emotion, smiling at the fact that her companion may have finally met his match.
Seeing no other option than to go along with this job, as a means to an end, Silana finally chimes in, adding to the atmosphere with her usual reply.
"This better be fun."
The servant guides you to a room with 5 altars, each one with one different chest:
1-The lock of this iron cask contains a laughing devil’s head.
2-This red box has been inset with a trio of golden faces: the first appears stern, the second angry, and the third fumes with hatred.
3-The lid of this stone chest is covered with a relief of carved ivy.
4-This sealed stone chest has no visible lock or hinges. No decoration or writing of any kind can be found.
5-A strange stylized writing wraps around the whole of this rectangular chest. Stranger still are the ten small pores that run along the box’s lid.
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Quioxti looks the chests over for a moment. As Gregor and Torillan begin examining the unmarked chest, he approaches the rectangular chest with the perforated lid. Passing his hand over the stylized writing, he begins quietly muttering syllables and half words to himself in several different tongues.
Gregor notices that there is something that veil his vision. Could it be an illusion spell? He manipulates the chest with closed eyes and he manages to open it. Inside the chest he find a collection of material components for a wealth of spells (value 500 gp but 70 lbs. of weight).
A successful search performed by Silana reveals that the devil’s head can be turned in both directions, like a combination lock, but without numbers to act as a guide.
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Ahaaa! Giving Quioxti a smug glance Gregor steps back from the now open chest. Lets see which one next...
Seeing Silana find the trick with the first chest the dwarf moves over next to the archer. Nice work lass. Now lets see if I can work with this.
pulling out his tools Gregor starts fiddleing with the lock.
Gregor disables the device without problem. Inside the treasure you find a lost treatise entitled “The Inward Facing Circle” written by Coganaris the Wracker, a famed Chelish devil-binder, along with scrolls of protection from evil and protection from good.
Quiotxi seems to be confused with the box with the holes.
Silana seems to release that the box of the golden faces reacts to a strong emotion state.
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What’s that Silana, it reacts to strong emotion? These certainly are peculiar chests. Gathering his tools Gregor wanders over to the chest carved with Ivy and begins looking it over. As he works he pauses for a moment and looks back over at the ranger.
Lass, do you think that chest of yours would open if I worked myself up into a rage? I think I have the energy if you though it would work.
Quiotxi shakes the chest and find what it seems to be... a music score?
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Silana steps toward Yargos, her voice little more than a whisper.
"Yargos, can I have a quiet word with you please."
Silana stand close, careful to lower her voice so that none may over-hear that which is being said.
"Whatever your endeavours may be, I have it on good authority that the Eagle Knights will be there to back you up, should the need arise. I would prefer this information stay between you and me, but so you know, there are people who appreciate you, and are willing to help if needed. I will also do everything I can to assure your safety in this situation with the code book and all."
With that, Silana moves to the chest with the small pores on it's lid.
Okay dwarf, you do your, angry thingie, and I'll help with the other boxes, the quicker we get this done, the quicker I can have some sharp, pointy words with a few certain people!."
Silana steps toward another chest, attempting to understand what the small pores are for.
Yargos is not with you in this room.
Silana gets near another chest. The lid of this stone chest is covered with a relief of carved ivy. She search the chest and finds the individual letters of a riddle cleverly carved in between the leaves on the chest’s lid. It says:
"Though different now sounds my name, the spelling
still remains the same.
Once prior leap of might, now becomes bird of white."
The chest seems to react at the word "Dove" spoken by Silana and it opens. In the interior can be found a collection of over 40 rare incenses along with a book of instruction. If burned in the proper combination, the incense collection can replicate a single use of incense of meditation.
The carved chest has only a clue: a musical score. Maybe made for flute.
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Gregor picks at the chest with his tools for a bit, trying desperately to find some way of opening it.
As he works the dwarf becomes more and more agitated.
Ruttin', piece of dug! Why in the name of the gods do people have to make things so gorram difficult! Probably made by some bloody Elf! Aye it must be elven look! Rutting musical notes! Only any Elf would be daft enough to make a chest that you open with a gorram flute and not a key!
Throwing his tool on the ground Gregor rushes to the chest with the three faces and begins tearing furiously at the lid.
When Gregor show his rage, the chest that's holding (the holed chest) doesn't react, but the three golden head chest begin to sound like a picklocked device and opens. The interior has a collection of ancient stone miniatures of a Viking army from the Land of the Linnorm Kings.
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"Well we have 3 of the 5 chests open, that was the deal, no point in trying to open the rest, he can bloody well pay someone else to do it for him. Let's get this information and go shal wee, we have a job to do."
Silana happy to be going, walks back to the information broker with the news that 3 of his chests are now open.
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Quioxti stares at where Gregor tossed the last box, "Hmmm, I had a brother who used to play the piccolo. Who'd have thought such a talent would ever be useful in picking a lock." Turning back to the scene before him, swordsman walks over to one of the open containers and withdraws the scroll of protection from evil. "I suppose this can be our fee for opening the extra chest," he remarks, stuffing it into his backpack, "It might come in handy, saving the city from the undead and all that." Kicking the music box as he passes it, he follows Silana back to the broker.
You go to the main room and encounter Master Torch, now dressed, sitting in his great wooden chair.
Torch: So? What do we have here? -he sees the content of the 4 chests (all the content you don't keep)- Interesting. Is that all it's content?
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"Everything except for that one last box," Quioxti explains, "Unfortunately, my companions and I aren't as musically talented as is required to open it." His face contorts into an expression of concern as he looks at one of the broker's goons, "You'd don't happen to play the harp, do you?"
"Anyways, these are the trinkets we were able to recover. A fair bit more than you had asked of us I do believe. Now how about that information?"
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After catching his breath Gregor grows quite and guiltly avoids making eye contact with Silana or Torillan. On their way back to talk Gregor mumbles an apologie to the two adding Good job with that riddle Silana, would have taken me months to figure that out.
As the Quioxti explanes things to Torch. Gregor acwardly chimes in,
Uh, yeah like what he said this is it.
Torch: Alright. You better get a hurry to Nessian's place. You have work to do, isn't it?
Yargos: You are right, indeed, My Lord. -Yargos look at you- Come on, warriors. We need to hurry!
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As the "warriors" approach the Pirate's hideout, Gregor stops to survey the terrain. Cursing under his breath the dwarf turns to his companions.
Ruttin' hole has enough doors don't it. What do we think boys...and lass? Gregor embarrassingly smiles at Silana. I say we clear out those three wings before hitting the main tower. We might alert whoever's in the tower but I rather have that then haven someone or something sneak up on us from behind.
After hearing what the rest of the party thinks he adds,
Mind if I scout ahead a bit? Make sure we're not walking into anything too dangerous.
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After several minutes of surveying their objective, Quioxti frowned. A moment later he shrugs and grins, "Seems like they'll see us coming from whichever direction we approach. We might as well take them head on. If you guys want to clean out the lower structure first, then lets get to it." The swordsman turn his head to look at Butters, "I think our dear Silana is itching to have some of her fun." As he draws his dueling sword, Quioxti shoots the warrior woman a wink.
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Bah! Speak for yourself Quioxti. I bet you the first round of drinks that, if there are any guards posted outside, I can put a bolt in one of them before they can even draw a blade!
Gregor puffs out his chest as he issues his challenge to Quioxti.
I say we move in from the south, I'll keep to the right and position myself behind that those rocks, while the rest of you move in behind the outcropping to the left. Just give me a 10 sec head start to get the drop on them.
You approach for the south and then, you can see a guard in the left tower and a guard in the right tower. They haven't noticed you yet. Maybe there is a chance of "disabling" them before they see you.
Gregor shoots a precise bolt to the guard in the right tower and kills him silently. The guard in the left tower seems to haven't noticed the maneuver.
The shot strikes the wall and make a sound that alert the guard, who sees his attacker.
-Alert! Intruders!
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"Diac phassl!" Quioxti steps from behind his rock, an orb of green energy already materializing in his hand. With a side-armed toss, he hurls it at the guard. "I suppose taking them both by surprise would have been too easy for you?" he teases the dwarf as he moves towards the front door of the tower.
Silana sees the danger and react quickly. She shots an arrow to the only guard that can be seen right now, the one who raised the alarm.
The shot hit the warhounder in the shoulder, injuring him badly. While he was trying to remove the arrow from his body, Quioxti kill off the bandit with an acid splah.
Gregor and Torillan runs to the central door and, listening that there is people inside, they prepare his actions.
Then, the door opens and more warhounders begin to exit the tower, but Gregor and Torillan was there. Gregor encrust his hammer in the chest of one of them, who falls inconcious inmediatly.
The elf knock down another with a mighty blow.
The two remaining seems to be a warhound and the boss, maybe Nessian. You notice that Nessian is dificult to see. Is... blur?