An Act of Hubris or Guile

“Why not try and open it from here?” Duncan asks, referring to the way Kas has used a magical hand to move things before

Kasbis gets the sense that it is magical, but for what it is will need the identify spell or uncorking the bottle

Kasbis pockets the bottle for now, and at Duncan’s urging, uses his mage hand to remove the wood from the top of the crate if possible, opening it up.  When he lifts any wood pieces up, he lays them down across any pathways with water, such as to the southeast.  “I feel like I’m going to regret this…”

In the crate is a set of studded leather armor weighing 13 pounds

What do you do?

"We need to find a way out of here... and we can't get over this water. Let's go back." Duncan says, leading back to room 7 and then through the hallway to 10.

“Wait.  Hmm, that looks like nice armor.  I shouldn’t, but I shall.”  Kasbis starts to ritually cast unseen servant and sends the servant over to fetch the studded leather armor while he watches from afar.  

The unseen servant retrieves the armor. Without the weight of the armor the trap triggers causes flames to erupt from the oily water

Room 10 has rows of columns and you see a cube like creature.

Seeing the blob, Duncan ducks down and slowly begins to back up towards where he left Kas, watching to see if the creature follows him.

It ignores Duncan for now. Perhaps you can sneak by the creature or distract it somehow.

Duncan waits, quietly watching the creature, noting his slow speed. Once Kas joins, Duncan says, somewhat frustrated and impatient, "We've taken too much time already... This thing moves slowly. We may be able to dash past it to the door over there." He then reaches to the ground to pick up a stone ready to throw it to the opposite side hoping to create a distraction.

Kasbis rejoins Duncan, periodically messsaging him to hear where he is, what he sees, etc.  He kneels down beside him and shows him, “Look, I have nice new armor.  What do you think?  I think it will fit me just fine.”  Pleased look on his face.  

He peers into the next room (10) and sees the blob, and whispers “Yet again?  I have to give them this, wherever we end up, they surely set up traps and obstacles to be overcome, they didn’t want visitors for certain.  Do you see the exit from the room, there in the southeast?  I have an idea…”

Kasbis pulls out the smoking bottle and uncorks it, seeing what it will do.  He whispers again to Duncan, “Let’s see if we can sneak by it using a smoke screen, I bet something like that will come out.  Hug this wall to the left until we exit.”  If he is right, after the room is full of smoke, he corks the bottle again to make their exit…

Kasbis is right as smoke fills the room. With smoke as cover the party safely go up the steps that end with a trap door above your heads. You can feel the ring handle of the trapdoor.

Oriyas takes the shortsword from the forge room as he joins up with Duncan.

The trap door opens into a ruined building. It looks to have once been a guild hall. You hear movement outside.

Peering through the one of the few window left intact you see a militia not clad in black armor.

A couple poles are adorned with this Heraldry

Kasbis rapidly changes his armor to the studded leather armor.   “Oriyas, do you know where we are?  Have you ever seen this place, or this herald?”

Oriyas looks excited "I think this building was the craftsman meeting hall and that is Elder's Bruth's Heraldry. Oh they are the town militia. Lets go they are friendly."

"We've made it in! Head up and introduce us." Duncan says, either to Kas or the boy, either of whom will hopefully be appear less of a threat than an armored solider.

Kasbis takes one more look through the window to make sure that he doesn’t see any other soldiers that look like the ones they initially met.  Then he says “Let’s go outside and introduce ourselves.  Let’s see the lay of the land.  Oriyas, tell us if anything seems off or if there is danger.  If you know them, introductions would be nice.  We have a common enemy, and perhaps we can devise a plan to handle these people who are threatening them.”  With that, Kasbis heads to the door and opens it, going outside to say hello to the militia.  

(His unseen servant has been tagging along behind him and continues to follow him for the next 50 minutes or so.)