Oasis 5.5: Lucht Can be Fickle
This is a PrP run by Kisaiya. It ties into the Oasis arc.
The sound of the heavy beat from a pair of large drums thunder out from around you all. In fact, if someone didn't know any better, they might think that they were part of your arrival. Indeed, if the party were to speed up or slow down, the drums seem to do the same, until, with a final THUMP THUMP!! the doors swing open to reveal a man reclining on a set of overly large cushions. As you grow closer, it's apparent this not not a man on huge cushions, but a halfling on just large cushions. He rubs his stomach through the silk and beckons you all closer.
"Mmm, yes, yes. I see you all have made it. Wonderful! Just wonderful. You see, I have a problem." He rubs his stomach again and beckons you closer still. Flails a hand at you, beckons, flails, beckons... It's rather convoluted affair until a man in rather skimpy attire says "Sorry-sorry-sorry" and sort of weasels through you all with a plate of grapes. Well... one mystery solved.
"I've called you all here because, I have a mystery." Rub-rub, "I need yo-o-o-ou to figure out who's stolen my painting from the museum. I rather liked that piece and the people at the museum tried to blame /me/ for it going missing. ME! It's not my fault. They told me to bring it by, so I left it there and it turns out they meant only during day light hours. THe nerve! I couldn't possibly part with it then, I would have had to watch it /leave/! That would've been dreadful."
He opens his mouth, more grapes put in, and chewing for a moment. "I mean, how would you feel if I took your..." he gestures at you three, frowns and shrugs, "...pick something you like, err. Chickens? You types of people like chickens, right? So thing if I took your chicken in front of you. It would be dreadful! Much better while you're asleep you see. Find my painting."
"...the...I undersstood the opening iss thiss week." So, Chay might understand the man's wont to get his art back. Chay stands there politely, the image of a perfectly attentive soldier. Some things about this are familiar and in this case today, that might ...not be a bad thing.
Walery tries to keep up, but the situation is a little too lucht for him to proprerly work out. "The painting has been stolen from you, or from the museum. And could you tell us more about the painting?"
Gimring looks somewhat out of place amongst the opulence of the silks, the burly and somewhat grimy dwarf doing his best to hide his umcomfortable expression behind the shadow of his well-kempt beard. Beady eyes look up, around and about, taking in the deluge of color and comfort. "More of a goat man, meself..." he mutters, stubby fingers resrting on his hips. Nodding to Walery, he grunts in agreement. "Aye, what's it look like?"
"It was dreadful!" The lucht says as he gives another rub to his stomach and yet more grapes were given. Then some more gesturing toward a different direction and another scantly clad man prances up. Yes, prances, before getting down on all fours. It akes a bit of doing, mostly because the man on the cushions does not want to move, but he's eventually put onto the prancing one and then the man starts off toward the wall to the side. "Hup-hup." he says, sighing, "I only pay you a hundred and fifty gold a day, the least you can do is get a little oomph into your step." He tousles the one he's now sitting on as they head toward the wall where a giant painting is. He points off to the side.
"It used to be right there." He e gestures again, and again toward it, right next to the large painting. "It was of my first pony. His name was Edwaldo Emmit Yessurson the Fifth. Turns out he was a very talented musician. I kept trying to get him to play for me, but he always said nay."
The man turns the pony about and faces the party of three again, "He was a splendid looking man, with a backdrop of a forest, and they used magic and glitter to always make it sparkle."
The spot he gestures to on the wall is a section about 24 inches by 24 inches... next to a painting which is probably 15 feet long and 8 feet tall.
"...I undersstood sslavery did not exist in Alexandria," Chay says underneath his breath, his heart beating too-fast. "Or thiss is..." his look shifts towards the painting, and then back again to the opulent lucht, who appears to have hired tallfolk for riding. The sith-makar cannot help his step towards the door.
Shagara has arrived.
"Slavery?!" The lucht looks possitively taken aback, "I pay my servants well, thank you very much!"
"Neigh!" Says the one under him. He pokes the man in the side.
"Oh don't you even start! I just raised your daily wage to 150 gold, you aren't getting 200 until I see some progress with that speed." He looks back up toward the Sith-makar and frowns, "I thought it was a very fair wage..."
"...perhapss, ser," Chay says, looking down and to the side. For the moment, he has nothing else to add. Just.
Uncomfortable.
Walery is confused for a moment. Well, more than a moment. Not at hiring the fellow to ride him around, because that seems straightforward enough. If strange. "The picture is of an equine? Or of a person you paid to perform in that role?"
The lucht turns to Walery then, staring at him he looks very confused and then says simply, "Yes."
Shagara has been here the whole time, really. Having hid in the corner, Shagara listens a bit before stepping out....and making herself seen by the halfling.....
"AH! I see! Another! Wonderful just wonderful!" He claps his hands at Shagara's entrance. Several people start coming in with trays of food that look like they're for lunch. He quickly waves his hands to shoo them away.
Gimring runs his calloused fingers through the length of his ebon beard, nodding slowly as the lucht reveals his "troubled" tale. He doesn't seem to make eye contact with the man-pony, and from his wrinkled brow one might suspect he intends not to. "Not in the business of letting thieves get away with their crimes, even if you seem right mad." he states, tone of his voice deep. "Who do you think might have taken it from you? Have you any enemies?"
"...wass there anyone who sshowed a particular interesst in it, sser?" Chay asks, when he can find it in him to look up again. "And may we ssee where in the musseum it wass sstored? To be dissplayed?" he asks. "If we know thesse two thingss, I am confident we may go from there."
"When don't I?!" The lucht asks as he flings his arm hard enough to send his pony stepping to the side a little. "Oo, sorry about that, an extra five gold today. Just take me back to the cushions. Pip-pip!" And the man-pony starts back toward the cushions. "As I was saying! When don't I?! I swear there's a gardener that's been fleecing me for the topiaries, and I even hear he's been implicated by some rather loud princess in the recent living plant fiascoes! And then there's Wornstrum next door. Wo-o-o-o-ornstum." He shakes his fist.
"Not to mention any number of cutpurses and thieves. Who /wouldn't/ want the picture of my beloved Edwaldo?" There's a rapid knocking at the door and then a man strides in, bowing low. "Sorry-sorry-sorry!" the newcomer says.
"UGH! I was not to be interrupted. Now I look weak in front of these commoners. You aren't getting any of the table-"
"Wait!" The man says and then stands up, scooting over to help the lucht off the pony and onto the cushions, "There was a letter! It just arrived and I knew it would be important. Someone is trying to ransom your painting back to you, sir."
"-scraps. I'm not giving you, or any of the other in the kennel, a doggy bag-- The Painting of Edwaldo?! THOSE FIENDS!"
Walery sighs at the response and says to the halfling, "It will be harder to help you if ..." and then the breakthrough. "Well, this makes things much easier..."
Shagara tilts her head at the lucht. "What is it?" She says softly......
"Sser?" Chay looks up as the rounded lucht shakes a fist in the air. "It may help if you read the letter to uss, sser. Then we might know what it is." Only his tail shows his agitation. It lashes, side to side. But oh, the sith-makar stands there, as polite as ever. Charneth manners. At least, the sort if you aren't a noble.
'Noble' there is another thing ENTIRELY.
The lucht finishes shaking his fist and then sighs, beckoning forward and taking the letter from the newcomer who then runs off quick as can be. "Good job, Weatherby! Keep up the garden patrols!" The halfling calls after and then unfolds the letter. He looks over it with a frown, and then hands it to the adventurers.
To Whom It May Concern,
We have your glitter sparkle pony picture. You will pay us 30,000 gold pieces or we will destroy it and save all of Alexandria the fate of having this displayed anywhere. We want the money delivered to the west side of the museum, placed at the third post two chimes after midnight - tonight. There will be a trash receptacle there, place it next to it.
P.S. You are one sick lucht. Really?! A man that loks like a pony as a picture?! And why does it sparkle?!
"We can trap the thieves by placing the gold and waiting in ambush," suggests Gimring, a pensive look etched into his stone-weathered features. "Though, who knows if they're watching ti during the day. You should send one of your men to actually leave the gold, so they don't suspect anything."
Shagara chuckles a little bit. "Different strokes for different folks." She then pops her neck...
Walery ers, "Perhaps you should leave something other than gold. We can hide in museum, or in the trash receptacle if it's large enough." Like a dumpster...
"I know ssomething of dissguise," Chay supplies to Gimring's suggestion. "If there are workfolk in the area, we could appear as them." He looks to the others, to see if this is acceptable. The rust-and-gray sith-makar wears a heavy, leather duster. Beneath it though, is the suggestion of armor.
GAME: Chay rolls knowledge/local: (13)+2: 15
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/Military theory: (17)+10: 27
GAME: Shagara rolls knowledge/arcana+2+1: (8)+5+2+1: 16
"...the musseum. It iss under consstruction, but it iss the tallesst in itss visinity. The oness around it are sshorter. There'ss a park nearby. The area iss fairly open," Chay says, as he looks to Shgara and Gimring.
The reptile adds, "Ssa. These people would expect our employer to hire ssomeone," he says, and looks to the lucht for confirmation, and then back. "Sso it may be to our advantage to not be sseen. If we do not dissguise, we could arrange with musseum ssecurity to gain access early, and then remain there overnight."
Walery suggests, "A building closer by would give a better vantage point to the site. And the street won't be empty by that time of night, we just need to disguise ourselves as people who might be on the street at that time of night.""
GAME: Gimring rolls knowledge/history: (16)+5: 21
Shagara ponders a bit. "mmmm...." She says softly. "A prestidigitation spell with permanency. This guy either has magical ability, or he has a lot of money to throw around." She then starts her way out.
Gimring rubs his hand over the top of his head, taking in the information his compatriots offer. He seems thoughtful, but doesn't offer anything of his own, for now. "I'm not so well versed in all this cloak and dagger drudgery. I'll defer to the rest of you and do what you think is best. But I think we should be cautious not to tip the thieves off. They may have eyes where we do not expect them."
"My only conssern iss, atop being sseen during the day by their sscouts, the matter of getting to them when they sstrike. Wherever we wait, we musst be able to reach them quickly." Chay says. He then looks to their employer. Then Shagara as she speaks, and leaves the room. He looks after her in confusion. "Ssa, ssoftsskin?"
Walery says, "If we want to set an ambush, we should get into place very early, and wait. Very early. Before they've scouted the place, if possible."
GAME: Chay refreshes spells.
GAME: Walery rolls will: (16)+2: 18
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (10)+7: 17
GAME: Chay rolls will: (19)+5: 24
GAME: Chay rolls perception: (9)+8: 17
GAME: Gimring rolls will: (5)+6: 11
GAME: Gimring rolls perception: (18)+8: 26
Walery wraps a rag around his face as he hides, to dissipate or mask the smell as much as he can.
Chay taps his wrist to stay awake. Tugs on a scale with a claw, when he starts to nod off. He glances towards a small sound, then refocuses on the trash bin. So far, he doesn't seem to have seen a thing.
As everyone else starts to set up, SHagara jogs around the back of the building and leaps to the top of the building, or uses a form of triangle jumping to get to the top. She feels she'd stand out too much to be considered part of the museum staff.....
GAME: Shagara rolls will: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Shagara rolls perception: (12)+10: 22
You all find yourselves in your respective areas. And it's there that you wait, hoping that your attention doesn't wander but it is a rather time consuming process and there's always a noise or a smell, or some sort of distraction even this late at night. It also doesn't help that this seems to be a fairly common walkway for people walking to and from pubs, several groups walking by in various states of inebriation. Including a rather loud group of sailors singing a bawdy song about a woman named Kitty.
Gimring narrows his eyes, blinking a few times as he rubs them tiredly with grubby fingers. "Bloody cats..." Licking his lips, his bleary-eyed stare widens to an open one, and he shakes the person nearest to him, frantically pointing to the dumpster. "Something's amiss! That's not the package we left!" Brows furrowing, he exclaims, "This is built on an older portion of the city. See the stonework, there? There are sewers below us, and that must be where the thieves have come from."
Shagara nudges Chay. "head back down. Something's wrong. Gimgring...stay up here...make sure the bag doesn't move." And with that...she leaps off the roof. Apparently, something IS wrong...to her.
Walery is looking out the peephole as much as he can, but he needs to breathe through it from time to time to get fresh air.
Waaugh! Chay gets shaken. He jerks away from the khazad at the touch. It takes him precious moments to calm his heartbeat. But then, the news doesn't help. "...ssa, ssa. Now that you point thiss out," he says. Then, looks to Shagara. "If it iss gone, they have come and gone. Let uss all go. If our friend'ss vission iss right, we may trail them into the ssewers," he says morosely. They've failed their task. At least, so far. The sith-makar grasps the edge of the building, and drops down the rope they'd hidden there.
Walery sees nothing of all this. His peephole, small enough to be overlooked, does not give a great perspective.
Shagara gets there first with her fast movement and ninja-like skills to head down the building. It takes the other two longer, with Gimring moving more cautiously and Chay going off of adrenaline from being shaken (not stirred). But as you all get down there... OH DAMN IT ALL!
Shag sees her suspicion is right, not to mention is missing the little emblem that Gimring noticed. Chay stares at it and notices it doesn't smell like the same sort of leather. Walery dodges nimbly to the side to avoid some garbage someone threw in.
GAME: Walery rolls intelligence: (16)+4: 20
Walery sees Shagara checking things out, so he'll break cover, too. There's stuff he's got to get a closer look at. He'll look back over where that odd shuffling was, outside the trash, though he's no tracker.
Gimring scurries down to ground level without much grace, nearly toppling over once his booted feet finally plant themselves on the stonework below. "Quickly!" he urges his comrades, looking around for the nearest entrance to the old sewer system before the thieves get away with their prize.
Chay hisses his agreement, and sets off with Gimring, to find the sewer entrance. It's their best bet, at the moment. As they do, Chay pictures the bag in his mind. Focusing, like a hound would an elusive scent or smell.
GAME: Chay rolls survival+1+2: (11)+8+1+2: 22
Walery pulls out a bag. "This was theirs, if it'll help us track them. I think they stood ..." he points "..there."
As Walery pulls out a bag of garbage he notices it's lumpy and it smells funny (and he's not even a whale biologist!) Either way, it's lumpy in the wrong ways and the corner - Wait, it shouldn't have a corner. Opening it up there it is! The painting sparkling painting of Edwaldo! You found it! ...Yay...? Of course the crooks are also making off with 30k! That's not good, that sort of success will only drive more criminals in this city to theft.
GAME: Chay rolls survival+1+2+2: (17)+8+1+2+2: 30
Huh? (Type "help" for help.)
And Chay is off to the races! It was so clear, like a bloodhound(Blood-lizard?) tracking down their prey. This odd step there, Gimring's excellent insight on the sewers there, Walery's intelligent inputs there. The four of you start chasing them down, soon you do find yourself in the sewers. Making pretty good progress through it as you start toward older and more decrepit parts. The one thing that is nice, is that the sewers are at least wide open here.
GAME: Chay rolls perception: (4)+8: 12
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/military: (16)+knowledge/military: 16
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/military theory: (20)+10: 30
GAME: Gimring rolls perception: (2)+8: 10
GAME: Kisaiya rolls 10: (5)+10: 15
Walery holds a hand up to stop everyone. "Hangon, hangon," he says quietly but firmly. "This looks a bit like an underground storage area. For during sieges," he explains. "But the thing is, there's traps here, for when it's not being officially used."
Chay's pulled from the hunter's trance by Shagara's hand on his shoulder. He jerks, drawing away. Again there's that moment, that wildness in the soldier's eyes before he finds himself again. It happens every time. Each time.
"Trapss," he says, when he can recover. He holds up a hand, to tell Shagara it's okay. "Trapss."
Holding a piece of tattered cloth to his mouth and nose as they traverse the sewers, Gimring comes to a sudden halt at the numerous warnings of traps. Despite the abiltiy of his race to see int he darkness, furtive glances do not seem to give him any inclination of danger, and in light of this he remains towards the rear of the group, proceeding cautiously with his fellows.
Walery leading with his death ray, illumination provided by a flame at its tip.
Breathing harsh in his ears, adrenaline going, Chay drops to a knee and grasps hold of rubble. Pebbles. He stuffs his pockets with them, until there are two loaves either side. Then, buttons.
"My kin never thought the gift might be ussed thiss way," he says under his breath. Then, he tosses a few of the pebbles ahead. If nothing happens, he'll jump over the more obvious trap.
Clak-clak... the pebble strikes and bounces along for a couple feet. It doesn't trigger another trap on the other side.
Chay and Shag make the hop over without a problem and land on the other side. Phew. Made it passed that trap without a problem. The other two follow across at their leisure.
"...Do you sssee anything ahead of uss?" Chay asks. He takes the pebbles again, and rolls them ahead of them. Tumble bumble rumble, go the pebbles, like a miniature land slide.
GAME: Chay rolls perception: (7)+8: 15
GAME: Gimring rolls perception: (2)+8: 10
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (13)+7: 20
GAME: Shagara rolls perception: (13)+10: 23
Walery ers, "I think that's a trap trigger right there, just ahead of you..." he points.
Shagara puts a hand on CHay's shoulder....then points out a trap for Chay to throw a pebble on. "Stay back."
Again as he's touched, Chay jerks backwards. Again, and again. He'd done it when Gimring had warned him, and again each time Shagara had earlier. It makes no difference; it happens. It just HAPPENS. His heart races, and he stares at her not even seeing the landscape in front of him and...
"...Hunter," he breathes. That far-away stare refocusing. "What did you ssay?" he asks.
Shagara points. "There's another trap there, Chay."
"A--ssa, ssa," the reptile says, regaining his breath and his footing. He takes out a few of the pebbles, and tosses them that direction. What happens?
Krrrrrrr the grinding sound of stone as the trap step is triggered out in front of them. And all of a sudden the floor falls out from underneath all of them! AH CRAP! Trap was meant to catch the people following the person who triggered it. If it's any consolation, you see a couple metal spikes jam from the wall out in front of the trap's trigger to injure that person too.
GAME: Chay rolls ref: (6)+3: 9
GAME: Shagara rolls reflex: (14)+7: 21
GAME: Walery rolls reflex: (3)+7: 10
GAME: Gimring rolls reflex: (20)+4: 24 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
GAME: Shagara rolls Reflex: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Kisaiya rolls 2d6: (4): 4
Gimring, the dwarf that's apparently spent time being a gymnast in a previous life, jumps backward and manages just enough to not step on the first trap they lept over. Others... were not so lucky. Chay and Walery both found themselves falling 20 feet where they land at the bottom of a pit. Upside! There's a ladder!
Shagara, unfortunately, lept backward right onto the step and with a metal KACHUNK! sound, a spring-loaded trap snapped close about her ankle... firmly keeping her in place.
Walery climbs out of the pit using the ladder. He grumbles.
Shagara says, "ow..." Shagara says as the trap snaps around her ankle. She looks down and tugs on the trap...to relieve the pressure of the trap on her ankle...."
"Whew!" exclaims the dwarf int he moment following his nimble avoidance of the trap, staggering back and protectively gripping his beard before looking down into the pit below. "everyone alright?" he calls out, peering cautiously over the edge.
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (16)+7: 23
Chay picks himself back up. He's bruised, hurt in places. He moves carefully, so as to not aggravate the wound on his tail. "Ssa, we sshould check the la--" and then Walery's moving. He goes quiet and survivalist that he is, he steps back.
Walery points out the 12th rung looking squirrelly. "Probably don't use that one," he suggests, and skips it, himself.
Chay approaches the ladder. Once Walery is up, he reaches up, slapping rungs with his cestus before stepping on them. And skipping the 12th, too. At the top, "...ssa. Sso, we move on?" he says. It isn't really a question. But it is. The soldier has to go forward.
Shagara grumbles. "I'm trapped to the floor, so unless you want to go on without me...help me out of this trap please."
A 10 foot gap separates Chay and Walery from Shagara and Gimring. And, yes, Shagara is currently stuck to the floor.
"..." Chay stares at it, the mechanics ticking through his head. "...an animal trap?" he asks, because it's the closest thing he's seen to compare it to. "Perhapss we might wedge it open?" he suggests, and then looks towards the khazad.
"'m not sure how this blasted thing works. Someone with more of a head for fiddlin' with this thing had best take a crack at it, or else I'll probbaly end up taking her leg clean off," Gimring suggests, looking to his companions.
Walery climbs back down the ladder, and with rope, back up the other side. Then he'll see to this trap thing. Can't be too hard to disassemble.
GAME: Walery rolls reflex: (11)+7: 18
As you climb back down you put your foot right down on that trick rung. Whoops! And the ladder suddenly gives away from the wall, swinging down to crash into the floor. Thanks to your quick reflexes, you hop off of it at the right moment and use the wall to slow your descent... landing a bit hard, but without injury. You can see now that where the ladder held so firm to the wall are holes with some sort of clasp mechanism in it. You could probably just push the ladder back in place if you wanted.
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/engineering: (8)+10: 18
As Walery gets back up the other side, he goes to work. He leans down close to the trap and starts to analyze it. A lot of humming and chin-stroking, but after a few seconds he thinks he's got it! He busts out his tool, a little fiddle here, a little fiddle there, and the trap springs open from about Shagara's foot.
Shagara gets her foot out and sits down to massage it, so it doesn't hurt for the forseeable future....
Once the softskin gets to the other side, Chay thumps his tail against the air. Then turns, staring down the wall ahead of them. Scenting, staring. Is anything ahead?
GAME: Gimring rolls acrobatics: (18)+6: 24
Walery is no athlete and will go back the way he came, down and up.
GAME: Chay rolls perception: (9)+8: 17
GAME: Chay rolls survival: (17)+8: 25
"They went that way. They jumped--there, to there." Chay points to spots in the dust, spots on the floor. He keeps an eye on the hall ahead, while his team sorts themselves out. Occasionally, he glances back to make sure they're okay and moving, and then continues his watch ahead.
With a grunt of effort, Gimring's short legs carry him at a full run and he manages to leap across the pit with a bounding stride. Listening closely to Chay's words, he nods slowly, peering ahead into the darkness. "Hopefully they've not gotten too far ahead of us. They used some sort of mind trickery before, so we ought to be careful."
Shagara easily makes it across the gap, thanks to her monk training...and is up front with Chay yet again. "Hopefully not...."
GAME: Shagara rolls perception: (16)+10: 26
Walery climbs up the other side, being wary of the trick rung, and joins the group.
GAME: Gimring rolls perception: (19)+8: 27
Shagara holds out her hand in front of Chay. "another Trap....." She says pointing....
Gimring nods in agreement, a stubby finger pointing out toward the same spot. "There's no end to the tricks left behind here..." he grumbles.
Chay thumps his tail in response, an air thump that doesn't touch the floor. "Ssa. Then we will find them, like the hounds," he says. The sith-makar is focused straight ahead. He finds a smile for them, eventually, like pulling back from a brink. Then, moves to leap forward over the spot Shagara had indicated.
You have requested SPEND: 'Level 8' from staff. Please allow for some time to process it. Do not page staff about it--you will hear back soon. RPP requests will be publicly posted unless you let us know otherwise by replying to the queue.
With Chay's bit of insight you hop over the next trap ahead after that evil pit/spike trap you guys triggered with pebbles. Who knew? Who knew... Eventually you find yourselves at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a door at the top. It looks like you're reaching the end of your journey - hopefully
Shagara says, "Be careful of the steps. They might be triggers too."
"It would be kind of they were more sstraight forward," Chay says to Gimring. "Why do you ssuppose there are sso many trapss here?" he asks the khazad. As he waits for the man to respond, he looks up the stairway.
Gimring lifts his broad shoulders in a helpless shrug at Chay's inquiry. "Long enough time spent in a place like this, they could set up a lot. And if this used to be a shelter, could be these traps predate them too. They're just more familiar with the signs than we are." he looks up at the staircase leading to the door beyond. "They liekly know we're here, with all the noise we've made. I say we move quickly and take them by surprise. Hard and fast, like the hammer falls!"
Shagara says, "How about we check the steps for traps first?"
"...I could run up the sstairs partway, and then leap back. Run, and leap, run and leap. Sshagara, you and I could take turnss?" the reptile suggests. "I have no other ideass to approach thiss. I am ssorry," he responds, after listening to the khazad. And offers an air-thump of the tail in response. "Doess ssomeone elsse have an idea?"
GAME: Chay rolls perception: (11)+8: 19
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (17)+7: 24
GAME: Shagara rolls perception: (16)+10: 26
GAME: Gimring rolls perception: (14)+8: 22
Every 4th step for all 20 of them looks different in a non-fun way.
Shagara tilts her head. "Interesting. I'm glad we didn't just charged the door."
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Gimring refreshes spells.
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/engineering: (12)+10: 22
Walery explains, "I can find the mechanical bits of the trap. If there's nothing magical, we should be able to bypass it. I'll turn it and hold it, you all go through, and I'll close the door behind me, -then- release it. I think that'l be safe.
Chay remembers to nod his head in the softskin style, and then gestures on ahead. And of course, they'll watch the steps on the way up. Every fourth.
Shagara watches her step too.....skip every fourth step, yesss....
GAME: Gimring rolls knowledge/history: (5)+5: 10
Gimring frowns suddenly, as if some unfortunate fact popped into his dwarven skull as his compatriots carefully manage the traps on the stairwell and the door. "It doesn't make a lot of sense," he offers aloud, cautiously ascending the stairs and counting under his breath to avoid the fourth steps. "These traps must have been here since before the thieves came, part of the storage's security, but their being active is fairly unusual. I wonder if we're really just dealing with some common burglars."
"...what did you ssay about illusions, Sshagara?" Chay asks the monk, and looks her way. "Before you ran out of the room?"
Walery says, of the burglars, "Personally, I think they were doing a public service til they gave it back.
Walery pulls open the door and holds the knob
Shagara says, "the glitter upon the painting was simple prestidigitation, a cantrip or minor spell, that was made permanent. SO the person who did it either had some magical skill...or had loads of money.....""
Walery says, "Prestidigitation is a trivial spell. And cheap, as far as that goes."
Gimring says, "Nothing permanent is cheap."
Walery says, "Ah, yeah, thats pricey"
Chay thumps his tail to that and then, drops his bow to hand. He waits on the door.
On the other side of the door you see 6 levers along the wall with crudely written words above each. Leg Pit Ladder Spikes Stairs Door. Each are done in charcoal and they look like they used to have plaques above them at some point. Further on you see that the hallway turns.
Shagara walks her way in and tilts her head. "This....looks strange." She says peering down the hallway.
Gimring staes implacably at the series of levers the party comes across, muttering something foul in Khazadi beneath his breath. "I've no clue where this leads from here. We must soon be coming upon the place where they would store things during a siege. Perhaps we should flip the levers, to disable anything if we need to go back the way we came."
...Chay steps carefully into the room, and looks around. His posture is lower to the ground, watchful. He makes his way over to the hall, and looks down it. "The noblewoman who ownss thiss would be interessted, I think, to know thiss is here." And he thumps his tail towards the khazad.
Once everyone's in, including himself, he'll close the door, then release the handle.
The door handle releases just after it closes and there's no noise from the other side of the door. Just quiet, looks like either it doesn't work or you didn't do anything to trigger it. And then... Gimring flips the switches.
There's a hum that becomes apparent, it winds down, and you all can hear the more distant sound of stone-on-stone action. Just what every Mountain Khazad hopes for.
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/engineering: (14)+10: 24
Chay moves quickly out of that room. He seems happier to be on the other side of it. But, ahead? Ahead is the hunt, and so he hits pace. Look, and scent, and concentrate.
Walery muses, "I wonder who's been keeping all this up?"
Gimring follows behind Chay, short legs carrying him forward as swiftly as they can keep up. "Might be fewer traps to worry about now that we've passed that control room. Our quarry might be cornered soon." Looking toward Walery, the dwarf replies, "Might be we don't want to find out. Little good dwells in the forgotten places of the world."
As you four round the corner you see a few people. One looks suspiciously like Edwaldo, the other three look like similarly good looking and they all are huddled about a bag of gold counting it out.
Walery says, "Well, if the Artificers knew about this place, it might not be forgotten. It's certainly well=protected. Surely someone can use it. Oh look..."
"..." Chay comes to a halt. If there were a painter present. A sketch artist. His expression would be priceless. Because. Well.
"Excusse me," he says. "Your employer wisshes to know where you'd gone," he says to Edwaldo.
Shagara is quiet....especially when she sees the non-glittery edwaldo.....
All four stop and turn to look at the adventurers. They stare and one of them says "I thought you said no one could get through those traps."
"Hey, no one should've." another responds, "Besides, that one looks like he fall down a flight of stairs or something." He's pointing at Walery.
"Well... damn it." Edwaldo says as he stars at Chay. "Guess he hired some more goons!"
GAME: You roll initiative for Thieves: Roll: 16 + Bonus: 6 = Total: 22
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 22.
It is now Thieves' turn! Chay is next!
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 20.
It is now Chay's turn! Shagara is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Chay ended.
"Where's the painting?" demands Gimring of the gathered thieves, his calloused palms resting on his hips as he ineffectually blocks the way back whence the adventurers came.
"What you went through wass horriffic and I undersstand not wanting to go back. ...but he likess his money. He issn't going to sstop," the sith-makar says. He doesn't like where he is. Their situation and his isn't the same at all, wasn't. Of course, part of him isn't letting him see that. He's going to get punched. "And we ssurvived the trapss. Who he ssends next may be worsse."
GAME: Chay rolls bluff: (9)+6: 15
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 18.
It is now Shagara's turn! Walery is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Shagara ended.
Huh? (Type "help" for help.)
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 6.
It is now Walery's turn! Gimring is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Walery ended.
Walery activates his titan armor.
GAME: Walery activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Dex
Stepping to the side of Chay, Shagara doesn't even tryto look menacing, but she does look like she's ready to hurt someone.
Walery presses a couple buttons at his belt. A targeting reticle appears at his eye, and his backpack glows for a moment. He readies his deathray and poses menacingly.
GAME: Walery rolls bluff: (15)+-1: 14
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 3.
It is now Gimring's turn! Thieves is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Gimring ended.
Gimring grumbles aloud as the conversation ensues, reminding with a sonorous tone, "These men tried to steal from someone and then swindle them out of their money, regardless of what a strange and decadent little creature he was. It is right that they should give themselves up and be taken in to the authorities." Pointing a finger at the gathered men, he states flatly, "Surrender."
GAME: Gimring rolls diplomacy: (18)+4: 22
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 22.
It is now Thieves' turn! Chay is next!
GAME: Kisaiya rolls +8: (5)++8: 13
GAME: Kisaiya rolls +4: (4)++4: 8
Edwaldo looked between them all, and turns to look at his fellows. Chay's words were truer for him and so they struck closer to hom. "Hey, let's just... calm down. Maybe they aren't here to come after us specifically, just as a job. That damned lucht might have just hired the guild." He said, and the other three start to nod, looking very concerned to him, but they're starting to calm down. Then Gimring starts talking about authorities and stealing and...
One of the rather attractive looking men freaks out and draws his sword, charging at Gimring, "I'm never going back!! NEVER!" And he swings wildly at him, but misses.
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 20.
It is now Chay's turn! Shagara is next!
"Khazad! He iss khazad!" Chay takes a step back, breathing hard. "Ssa, ssa. He only meanss, of coursse, we will have to report the tunnelss. We have been here, now, and they would wonder where we had been. ...but." His blood is thundering in what passes for ears. "They would wonder, would they not? What do you mean, 'never going back?'"
GAME: Chay rolls sense motive: (9)+7: 16
GAME: Chay rolls knowledge/local: (8)+2: 10
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 18.
It is now Shagara's turn! Walery is next!
"It..." Chay shakes his head. "I don't know a lot about the local lawss, here. What do the prissons, and the lucht have in common?" he asks the men. Alert, but not reaching for his weapons, he stands near Shagara and her protective stance.
GAME: Shagara rolls cmb: (19)+7: 26
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 6.
It is now Walery's turn! Gimring is next!
GAME: Walery rolls intimidate+2: (14)+-1+2: 15
GAME: Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 3.
It is now Gimring's turn! Thieves is next!
Shagara seeing someone rush Gimring grabs onto the guy and SHOVES him away from Gimring. "I'm GOING to suggest you calm down....."
GAME: Gimring rolls knowledge/history: (6)+5: 11
GAME: Gimring rolls knowledge/history+2: (9)+5+2: 16
Walery fires a fiery warning shot from his death ray, which leaves a chrysanthemum of char on the floor. "HOLD It!" he shouts. He's not a great speaker, but he has a way of drawing attention. "Give us the gold, and leave here, and we can forget all this happened. We'll say you got away and we held onto the cash rather than going after you. It's a horrible thing he does, but it's his money." He shrugs. "Cause if it's gonna be a fight, then you're all gonna die, and if you survive, you'll rot in jai;. No one wants that."
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Kisaiya advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 22.
It is now Thieves' turn! Chay is next!
Gimring stands firm as the man charges him with blade in hand, stepping deftly aside from the ineffectual swing. Once Shagara intervenes, he looks to Chay, and offers, "It's not unheard of for people to pay for another's bail and then use that to indenture them. Nobody likes hiring criminals. Except maybe rich halflings with leverage."
The man stumbled as he was shoved away from Gimring and then turns. He's about to head on back when Walery fires and he stops in place. There's a tense moment and Edwaldo nods his head, gesturing toward Gimring.
"He's got the right of it. Albeit, that's not how it happens with everyone but there's more than a couple." His smile is a bit dry and he looks between the Adventurers again. "If you mean it, that we can just hand this back and walk away..." He looks between the others, "I think we can all agree to that. Right?"
The other three nod, the one who attacked gimring was the last to nod but does so firmly while glaring at Gimring still. Gimring did suggest taking them to prison after all.
Edwaldo quickly adds, "Wait... You didn't find the painting, right? Gods that thing is hideous."
GAME: Walery deactivates his Titan Armor.
GAME: Kisaiya removes the timestop.
Timestop by Kisaiya has left.
GAME: You remove the timestop.
Chay looks like he'd puke. "...ssome prey ddesserves to run free. You--" he says more loudly then, to the former 'pony.' "Let uss sshare wordss, while our friendss ssee to thiss business. Perhapss you can tell me of thingss the lucht would rather otherss do not know. Pleasse."
Shagara looks to the one glaring at Gimring....grabs his nose...and lifts his face to hers. "I suggest you take your eyes off the Lucht......"