No Rest for the Dead in Avlor

Balian, you are cursed. For the next 8 hours you have disadvantage on INT checks and INT saves.

Balian

"Hmm... Oh.... Where was I?  Ah, the chest!  Someone heavy climb into the chest and jump up and down please, then we can open the last chest!"

      "You feeling all right there, Bailan?" Shale says as he steps over to the chest and strikes the bottom of the chest with the butt end of his staff.

The sound of the staff striking against the bottom of the chest has a resonance that you would normally associate with banging on something hollow.

Squiggles can no longer hold himself back, and casts Create Bonfire on the chest

    "Whoa, whoa!" Shale dives away from the chest as it bursts into flames. "Give me a heads up. Sheesh, Squiggs! You damn pyro!"

Somewhere a single tear falls down a master carpenter's face.

How long do you leave it up?

Until it's gone, baby

The smell of burning wood and oils fills the air, making a charming complement to the cloud of poison gas hanging around. As the fire rages inside the chest, the sides and lid show some charring, but the wood is solid and treated and holds up pretty well. However, after about 30 seconds of bonfire you hear a "crack" coming from underneath the fire. And then another "crack". Finally, just before the fire goes out, Jarl and Balian can just barely make out a clattering sound that seems to be coming from below you. Once the fire is out, looking in the chest you see that the bottom panel, presumably cracked into pieces by the flames, has evidently fallen through a chest-sized rectangular hole in the floor. As you peer in the hole, those with darkvision can just see stone at the edge of your range of sight, about 60 ft. down. It occurs to you that it might have been a good thing none of you took up Balian's suggestion of getting inside the chest and jumping up and down.

Squiggles is clapping with glee and smiling.  "Sorry Shale! <cough> But look! <cough> An exit! Plus, did you *see* how well that burned?"

Balian

"And one more enchanting chest to investigate!"  Balian walk over to the chest, slips a few assorted tools into the lock, and (if successful) throws open the lid.

Thieves' Tools (min 23): 23

As with the last chest, Balian is able to achieve a satisfying click as he deftly manipulates his pick in the chest's lock. As he opens it... nothing happens. However, looking inside he sees a large (about a foot tall) branching arrangement of deep black crystals, mounted on a cylindrical base. He hears a faint hum seeming to emanate from the object. He feels a vague sense of dread as he looks into the chest at the object; he can't tell whether it's being caused by the hum, something to do with the chest, or whether it's just in his mind.

Make an INT save (with disadvantage due to the curse)

INT save: 11

The sense of dread grows in your mind as you are somehow both inextricably drawn toward and revulsed by what you are seeing. But after another few moments it passes, the fear seemingly being drawn into your stomach and absorbed by the food you ate a few hours before.

You failed the save, but lucky for you this was a frightened condition, which you are immune to from Heroes' Feast! Note to self: if creating trios of traps in future, don't choose things that line up perfectly with a trio of buffs granted by a single spell. :-)

OOC - DM failed their INT save ;)

Balian

The normally cheerful and chipper thief grows silent for a second, and gulps as a bead of sweat runs down his temple.  The moment passes, however, and he plucks the object out of the chest and throws it at Squiggles.  "Try not to burn it, and tell us what in the nine Hells this is!"

Squiggles, make a DEX check to see if you catch it (unless you don't want to catch it).

Squiggles, excited by the thought of investigating a new object, tries to catch it.

10

Safely assuming it caught, Squiggles will spend a few moments examining it:

Investigation/Arcana: 26

OoC: A nat 20 and a nat 1 in a single post. lol

Hah. Nice.

Despite the suddenness of Balian's toss, Squiggles catches the heavy object without a flinch, even while he is lost in thought and not looking toward Balian.

Even though he is still seemingly distracted while examining it, he recognizes this as the item depicted in one of the schematic drawings on the desk. Not being nearly as perceptive as Balian, however, he isn't able to hear the faint hum emanating from whatever this is.

Squiggles will go ahead and cast Identify on it.

"Can 2 of you pull that desk over?  I believe we may want the schematics on their"