Tests and Trials Game Thread

"I hate getting poisoned, it sucks. I lost count how many times one of us fell asleep from drow poison. Too many times! Gonna have to pray and see if The Five can help with not getting poisoned. It's the worst. This guy deserved it."

The golems drag the drow out of the room, only a single golem remains in the room.

It says in its toneless voice,

"Well done. I will need to place most of the golems into inactivity soon but will secure the drow before then."

"Sure, we've already found the armory on this level though.  So we head down to the mainly unexplored one."  Jaq will scout ahead 30 feet from the rest.  

((Actually, he directed you down the stairs to the one that you've fully explored. You're on the floor that you haven't explored but anyhow-))

The exploration of the fourth floor goes relatively quickly, pushing open doors and looking in. Most of the level is unused, but there are a few beds and a number of sleeping mats. Near to the north stairs down (and where the tunnel to the Underdark was) the party find two rooms filled with assorted goods, mostly in boxes. A quick check of the opened boxes reveals mostly food but additional blankets and some tools are in evidence. On box is separated from the others and it has a label in Elven marking it to back taken to a location whose name no one in the group knows but if it is asked of Mikram he'll explain,

"Drow outpost, closest one aye think."

The box is sealed.

Cladmir quickly scans to see if there are anything that could be useful.  Being in dark caves he would looks for something that could be easily made in to more torches.  Furthermore he will also look for tools/kits that will be useful for cooking and maybe first aid.  

He will also try and recall if anything that Mikram with regards to a Drow outpost rings a bell -- also if any other boxes are not marked as Elven he will also try and see if he can make any sense of their possible origin based on their markings/construction, etc.   History:  18

Cladmir, after poking around in an opened crate, finds some cooking gear. Looks to utensils, pots, pans and the like. Nothing too exciting. He doesn't see any medical gear or torches but figures blankets and a sword could be a torch in a pinch.

Nothing about the outpost strikes any bells for him. He spent most of his transit time with a dirty bag on his head and unconscious. If he passed through there it wouldn't have known it.

One box has a label in a language Cladmir doesn't recognize and it is still sealed. Another looks to have dwarven runes on it, the one filled with mining equipment. It looks fairly standard för mining gear but Cladmir would guess it's been sitting here for a while based on the beginnings of rust. Which when he thinks on it is not something readily happening with dwarven made equipment.

"Think they'd trap something to send it to their outpost?", Kroshav muses, looking to Jaq.

He nods to Kroshav, "Yep, drow most assuredly trapped it, just to keep each other from stealing from it."

He will ask Lurn for some death god guidance and then search for traps.

He will do this by bringing up one of the groups light sources so he is not relying on his darkvision alone.  He will look at all sides of the box without touching it, then see how it is being held closed.  Is there any  other smaller writing or colored oddities on it?  It is made of wood?"

(what dice should I roll for you on this?)

((Investigation for the check!))

"It also wouldn't surprise me if they set out something that looks like it will be a crate of valuables to be sent back, only for it to have nothing but traps.  They seem tricksy like that."

At Jaq's request, Lurn casts Guidance on him.

((Everyone just waiting on the box to be checked? There are other sealed boxes if people want to root around.))

Investigation:  7

Guidance: 3

If he doesn't find any traps, Jaq will attempt to open the box.    He shoos everyone further away though, in case something bad does happen, like earlier in the drow's living quarters.  He will try to move to what he feels is the side of the box (if there is an obvious front) and poke and prod it with his crowbar roughly at it, so that if there are traps, they might be set off.   Then he will, from the side he picked, just go to ripping off the top with the crowbar.

Cladmir, who still remember the exploding door incident, has been hesitating to open any crates and gladly made space for Jaq to take a first crack and the box.

Jaq inspects the box and notes that it appears to be held shut with nails. There is no other text on the box he can spot and it doesn't have any obvious front or back so goes at it with his crowbar. The box doesn't react to be jostled about but something inside shifts a bit as he goes to ripping of the top. With the crowbar the act of prying the box open is easy enough and it isn't until the lid is nearly off that a soft POP alerts those listening to the impending danger.

Assuming everyone listened to Jaq, they get to watch as both the inside of the box explodes in a gout of flame, washing over and the elf standing next to it.

((Dex save please Row! Need to beat a 15.

On fail take: 9 fire damage, half on a save.))

Once the flame recedes, leaving a slightly blackened Jaq, the box remains mostly intact. From the outside at least. However, the volume of smoke issuing out of the box isn't a promising sign about the state of its contents.

Once the smoke recedes (or someone does something about it) the remains of the contents can be determined as:

• Kroshav's magic warhammer
• The belt of dwarvenkind
• A lot of ash that was probably something(s) paper based
• 686 gold, 423 silver and 311 copper coins
• Several damaged pieces (literally) of art of questionable value

((The cloak of elevenkind and other magical items remaining are not in the box nor is Lurn's necklace. ))

Dex Save: 20

After he tries jumping out of the way and the flames and smoke subside a bit, he takes a peek in the box and whistles.

"Lots of our coins and some others probably.  And Kroshav, your fancy acid hammer is here!"

Kroshav is pretty sure he hears some quiet, unhappy muttering in Sword's voice.

"Nice! You alright Jaq? A little too late to use it on bashing stone for the cave-in, but be good to have it for any jobs that are beneath Sword.", Kroshav says aloud, in hopes of mollifying her.

<You know you're the weapon for me when it comes to REAL jobs!>

He will reclaim his hammer, and move to stow it on his back, before turning to Cladmir.

"Clad, you in need of a magic weapon? Hammer's good for bashing things, does acid damage on a hit too, handy for trolls and the like."

A wave of warm satisfaction washes over Kroshav at his buttery thoughts.

((Did you say there were other crates that wouldn't be able to be trapped? Kroshav will check one of those.))