No Rest for the Dead in Avlor

It's a big wooden desk but it's not bolted down. Two of you working together could probably move it. Well, two of you that aren't Squiggles anyway. It's a little bit taller than you, so you'd have a hard time getting leverage (plus you're not strong).

Jarl drops Dust Devil. He is also now large (as opposed to medium), if that's more helpful than dragging a desk over.

OOC: Does this desk have any drawers that we haven't examined yet?

It doesn't; it just looks like a big solid piece of wood. Maybe the papers on the surface would be less messy if the owner got a desk with some drawers! Then again, maybe not.

Balian

Having broken into many establishments, and broken out of not-quite-as-many prison cells, the art of locking something behind him to discourage suspicion was as natural to Balian as unlocking it in the first place.  He jumps to his feet triumphantly.

"Good job everyone!  Pat yourselves on the back!  Great teamwork!"  He inhales deeply, still in the midst of what's left of the yellow-green cloud.  "I must say, when this poison gas isn't trying to kill you, it's quite invigorating.

The thief jumps and sits himself on top of another chest (the one with the necromantic aura), and eyes everyone up with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  "Can I open the next one?"

Celric dusts himself and stands back up shield in hand. “Good work everyone, thank you. Please open the next. This is exciting!”

Flynt shakes himself off. "I am ready when everyone else is." 

"Balian, i'm going to entomb you in with the gas in my Wall of Stone if anything pops out of that"

    Shale suggest to Bailan, "Can you just unlock it and then maybe our firebug here can use that magical hand he has to lift the lid?" Rhe genasi looks to Squiggles checking if that is a possibility.

Squiggles moves his hands quickly and whispers something and a magical hand appears and gently pokes Shale in the stomach.

Squiggles also casts Minor Illusion to make a delightful "Heh-Heh!" as the hand makes contact

Balian

Jumping off the chest, Balian turns and kneels by its lock.  "You mentioned a necromantic aura on this one, Celric?  Come on Squiggles, you've never wanted to meet a lich?  Now's your chance!"

Once more producing his array of thieves' tools, the half-elf begins to fiddle with the lock.

OOC - Balian will have a root around the innards of the lock, feeling for a trap trigger he can disarm, otherwise he will simply unlock the chest, but not open it.

Thieves' Tools (mins 23): 23

Retreating 10 feet away from the chest, Balian draws his bow and nocks an arrow, on the off chance that there is a lich-in-the-box. 

Squiggles flips the lid open with his mage hand

Balian doesn't detect any triggering mechanism. As he carefully manipulates his lockpick, he hears a satisfying "click". There seems to be no ill effect of unlocking the chest. As Squiggles's spectral hand goes to lift the lid, with everyone having backed away, the lid rises. Everyone braces for the worst, but again, nothing seems to happen. Balian is able to see into the chest from his vantage point.

It appears to be empty.

(Dm: Is the poison cloud appearing to dissipate or move through any cracks in the walls?)

     Shale exhales as any trap does not seem to have triggered, but still looks perturbed. "Well that's no good. Nothing worse than a trap, is a trap you're expecting to go off but doesn't."

Balian

Frowning, the thief almost seems disappointed that everyone's lives are not in danger.  "Maybe there's a secret compartment or something..."

Returning to the chest, he peers inside, then starts running his hands around its interior, looking for compartments, buttons, plates, anything that might make it do something.

Investigation (min 13): 13

The poison cloud has drifted away from the chest wall and is now covering the bookshelf, but it doesn't seem to be dissipating or finding any cracks. Shale, as you are considering what the cloud is doing and thinking about cracks in the walls, make an Investigation check.

Balian, as you run your hands along the bottom of the chest, you feel a sudden strange headache. Make a WIS save (with advantage, due to Heroes' feast).

You also notice that the bottom of the chest seems to have a little bit of give to it, as though it were not completely attached to the rest of the chest.

Oh, of course, that's one of his expetise. Lol...

Investigation 13

Shale, you notice that the cloud seems to have stopped but you don't really make anything of it.

Balian

WIS save: 16

OOC - I have a bad feeling about this...

"Hey!  I think this is a trick chest, I wonder..."  Balian's sentence trails off as he sits up and rubs his temples for second.