THREE HUNDRED FORTY FIVE
(I/C)
"Chapel time,” Kovid coaxed the group. Pointing at the door, he said, “Once we get through, one of us should keep an ear to this door from the other side. Without this hammer I bet we can hear them.”
“Maybe only one or two on listening duty,” Lyra suggested, still looking through the book. “We should all look for that key. The sooner we find it the better.”
As Brendon went up to the door to give it one last look over, he whispered back, “Why don’t a few of you read off the hymns or prayers while I check the door.”
“What the hell for?” Lannis asked.
The Scout was quickly giving the portal a once over, “You’re holding their goddess weapons and Wyn’s an elf.” He glanced back at the dais, “And who knows, the two or three room statues might give us a boon.”
"It not be a statue, du Lac,” Wyn replied, “Well, I mean, it is now... but as de Priestess said a few minutes ago, it be a medusa victim. De priest Braunur. It not be like de goddess statues we encountered before.”
“Ah…too bad.” He dusted his hands clean (no roll needed). “No traps. And Wyn’s right, there was a lock on the door but it looks like someone took a hammer pick or a spike to it in the past.”
“Any way to lock this behind us once we’re inside?" Kovid asked.
“Won’t know till we get in there. But from this side, I’d say the lock is screwed.”
“Let’s go check,” the dwarf said, stepping up to open the door.
Abraxas placed his hand on the dwarf’s arm, stopping him from opening the portal. "Señor Kojo, should you not go last? El Majik from tu Hammer es que makes us quiet, si? Si este es el case, then we shouldn’t have you go first. You should be the last one out of este room, si?"
Wyn snapped his fingers and nodded. “Monsieur Salazar might be right, Dwarfriend, ye may want to keep yer feet in dis room initially while we search de next room. If you leave here, the silence might dispel.” He rubbed his chin. “Aldough I suppose it also be possible dat you may need to let us into de south room...” he sighed and shrugged. “I guess we cen try and if it dunt work wit us, den havin you open de door when we ready to go through, aight?”
Brendon nodded. “I got this one.” He turned the knob, hearing the door unlatch, and pushed it in without issue. “We’re good.”
The room was pretty big, not as large as the Sanctuary, but sizable. Daylight streamed in through two floor to ceiling Glassstone windows set on the east and south east wall. An ornate altar was situated between the two windows and a three count of hard backed chairs was placed in front. Two long benches were in front of each window. Just on the inside of the room and on the west wall was a high backed royal padded leather chair, festooned with carvings of leaping animals and symbols to Theystra and the various stages of the moon. A very large table/desk was in front of it in which a large brass astrolabe and an oversized mounted sextant sat. A ponderous tome was open next to them where someone with large handwriting had posted various coordinates of celestial bodies maybe 30 years earlier.
There were 2 other items of note.
One was the three very dead bodies in the room just between the chairs and the altar. One was a large hairy hobgoblin that we realized was a male bugbear, but maybe only 2/3rds the size that the Butcher had been. And the other two were hobgoblins. All three bodies had been stripped down to their undershifts. Natrium salt had been sprinkled liberally on them to keep the odor down which was why they might not have been discovered. All three of the bodies had burns on them, on their face, chest, and hands. The burns had a repetitive design on it of a moon and a long cylinder type wound.
And that lead to the second thing. Over the altar on a hook was a Brass Key with the same symbology of moons on it, looking just like the other 3 keys in Wyn’s possession.
“Bout fucking time,” Lannis bitched. “Keebler, once Screwbag Rocknuts gets his bearded ass in here, pluck that damned thing so we can say we finished something useful today.” He made his way over to the table and whistled. “Now THAT is a nice piece of hardware,” he admired the astrolabe and sextant. “That’s going to look real nice in my lab at home. Dibs.”
“Ugh,” Lyra shook her head. “It’s not yours to take.”
“I didn’t say now. When we leave.”
“Still not yours.”
“And I thought we weren’t doing dibs?” Brendon reminded the magic user.
“And that’s why thinking isn’t your strong suit.” He pointed around the room. “Look, go do your thief shit and look around all scouty like and I’ll try to get this dildo box open,” he put the invisible box down on the table and left his hand on it, “I shouldn’t have to tell you how to do your job.”
“No, but you do anyway.”
“Thank god for that. Otherwise who knows how screwed up you’d make things.”
Brendon quickly looked around for anything out of the norm that might do the party harm (<Wis check, +2 thief, Red 5) and after a few minutes waved the rest of the party in. Kovid did indeed come in last and once inside, we shut the door, allowing the group to look around.
Meanwhile Lannis had been working the two sides that rattled slightly, shifting them back and forth, trying to feel where the release catch might be (<Intcheck, -4 invisible, Pink 11) when he managed to coax the short side to finally drop about a quarter of an inch, which released the larger side that he was able to flip open. “Gotcha,” he smiled. “Let’s see the Doctor Manhattan,” he smirked, opening the box all the way.
“Whoa.” He muttered, face growing serious. “I think I was wrong.”
“What’s in there?” “Si? What?” “Anything gross?”
Lannis poked around a little and frowned. “We heard for Mirabellis is really into Corfard, right?”
“Yeah? Is it a dildo shaped like a dragon’s dork?” Brendon guffawed.
The Magic User shook his head. “No. I just think, that maybe, she is well aware, that at the end of the day, Corfard is a dragon and he knows that everyone else just…isn’t.”
“What is it?”
“I think, she put together, a kit to help her fight Corfard if something ever went very very wrong for her.”
He pulled out a piece of vellum with four lines written on it. Lifting it up, he read, “1. Mithril tipped Arrow of Dragon Slaying, triply enchanted. Duchess should shoot.” He reached in and took out an arrow covered in runes with a silvery head and scintillating fletching. It was in two pieces, but the shaft was cut in such a way that the two pieces would slot into one another and then lock together (+3 Arrow vs Dragons (hit and damage), double damage).
He read the next line, “2. Scroll of Protection versus Dragons. I should read it.” He took out a rolled up sheaf of vellum, tied with a red bow (Limited to the wizard/elf who reads it. 2-5 minutes or 50 pts of damage, whichever comes first).
Continuing he read, “3. Potion of Regeneration. Grimtooth should drink it just before combat as he’ll most likely be in direct combat with Corfard.” A cut crystal potion vial came out next, filled with a swirling sparkling blue liquid (Last 1d6 turns. Heals 1-2 hp/round up to but not beyond max. If a person actually dies before the potions time expires, they are fully healed next round but the potion is burned up at that point).
“And lastly, 4. 2 Scrolls of Raise Dead and the Diamonds needed to power them. Catharandamus should have and use if needed.” He took out two more scrolls and then two diamonds each the size of a baseball. (Each diamond is worth 5,000 crowns).
“Senors,” Abraxas said very slowly, eyes glistening, “we hit the Madre Follando Bonanza!”
The party was very quiet, taking it all in, figuring out who would take what. The stillness was broken only by Lannis’ soft voice saying, “dibs.”
(Enemy scout, Black 18)
Time now is Day 8, 12:32 PM
(OOC)
Treasure XP: 10,000 Divided.
Kovid and Brendon add 1,667.
Everyone else add 1,666.
Ok – room still needs to be searched but you found the big hidden magic treasure for use against Corfard. Good job guys! Let me know who wants to carry what. And who wants to search around the room and where. Secret Door? Lyra, if you take the 2 scrolls, you will need to take the diamonds as well.
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