Waterdeep: Camel Heist (2020)

Scupper, what have you found?

Ah Don't fall in the pit he will mumble to anyone who passes him.

On his way back to the study he will stop in the crypt room. Ducking his head into the cells he will tell Doofus, We'll be comin' back for you shortly. Your employer is dead. And size up the room.

Something is off. He thinks there is another room here, to the north. I think there is another room here! he will shout to no one in particular. He will start looking for a way in.

[ability]Intelligence[/ability] : 22

[skill]investigation/skill] : 18

Strix declines the wine, preoccupied with sweeping some bloody pulp off his new robes before it goes claggy. It's getting awfully warm in there, he regrets leaving his regular clothes on underneath. He wipes his hands and staff clean on the drapes on the wall, then has a look behind the drapes.

Vaz, Omyn the Redbrand just stares at you.  He had heard the battle and hoped that his friends were coming to rescue him; your words have killed the last hope he has.

There is indeed another room directly to the north of the crypt.  The large locked door in the passageway was a bit of a giveaway.  

Strix, make a Perception check.

Perception 7

They're nice drapes, and something might be done with them. Behind them the wall is bare and uninteresting.

Feeling a bit thick Vaz calls out for Scupper

Hey Mister Scupper! How are you with door locks?

Incantis inspects the staff he holds in his hand and follows the party, reeling. It's only been a short time he's left his cult after all, and this is the first hostile magic user he's encountered.

Investigation: 14

Incantis, you know that this is a magic staff, and you think it has some defensive purpose to it.  You can't use it right now, but you know from your studies that it would be sufficient to spend an hour examining it in order to get a good idea of its properties. 

Well judgin' from yer overall lack of prisoner, I'm guessin' we don't have much in the way o' new information from that "glass-half-empty" wizard. Ye know like...where the mine is or where our dwarven employer is? Ah well...I suppose he didn't make it easy.

Anyway...I done some searchin' and found me a letter from the Black Spider but wouldn't you know it...no return address. Larno the Wizard was indeed workin' for the man and keeping the town under thumb. He was also supposed to capture any Rockseeker brothers...I figure we could show that to the remaining Rockseekers when they arrive so as to gain their trust enough to accompany them. Anyway...So's I'm hunting about looking for more possible arachnid missives. No luck so far...was about to open this chest which seems to have good taste...is that sentient pear wood? Doubtful.

Eh...not that I minds the company but weren't there supposed to be an additional 3 bugbears or so around here? Anyone check the other end o' this hall? What's this about a door, Vaz?

And lock picking the chest 24

Scupper, you open the chest easily.  Inside, you find what seems to be the bulk of the Redbrands' take from the last few months of occupying Phandalin and waylaying travellers on the Triboar Trail.  There are 180 silver pieces, 100 gold pieces, and a small silk pouch containing gems: five carnelians (10 gold each), two peridots (15 gold each) and a single pearl worth 100 gold. You also find a Spell Scroll of fireball which Iarno evidently did not have time to reach.  That appears to be the end of the treasure, in this room at least.

Varinth rocks on his heels while he takes another swig of his wine. He stares intently at the locked door. 

Would my finger fit in the keyhole?

Investigation :  16

Varinth, your keen investigative powers tell you that your little finger would probably just fit into the keyhole, though it might be a struggle to get it out again.  Doing this would be unlikely to open the door, however.  You do check and confirm that the door is not trapped, just locked.  Big, heavy, strong and locked.

Bored, a little drunk and lacking in wisdom, Varinth puts his finger in the keyhole. Pausing for a moment to see if his brain will come to the rescue, a small part of him is astonished when the only thought that comes into his head is;

I wonder what will happen?

Varinth mutters ftumch and shoots a Fire Bolt into the lock. Damage 8

The lock doesn't melt but the door around it catches fire, though not very intensely.  Nevertheless, you get the feeling that you could stand here for a couple of minutes casting Fire Bolt repeatedly at the door and it would probably be enough to burn it to ash.  You do risk igniting anything inflammable on the far side, of course.  Is that what you want to do?

Surprised that he remains deco-digital Vaz casts Control Flames to put out the fire. He will remove his finger if possible and sit down with his back to the door and wait for Scupper.

Wow that was stupid. He takes a swig.

Strix looks at the drapes, looks at his fine wizardly robes and flowing red cloak, and the beads of sweat on his wrist. He wonders how close you have to get to a palpating pulmonary failure for your wrists to sweat.

Don't worry, you hit the headache and delirium stage long before your heart gives out

"Silent!" Strix cries, slapping himself across the cheeks and storming out of the  room. At the top of the stairs he sees Varinth setting fire to a door. He places a tentative hand on the drunkards shoulder, ready to leap back of a burst of reactionary flame is forthcoming.

 "Is easy way" he chides, rummaging inside his voluminous vestment to locate the tools on the rope he calls a belt.

 1 Thieves Tools (I'm not clear on whether this check is a flat D20 + Proficiency or D20 + Dex + Proficiency. Or D20+Dex, with Proficiency and Ownership of the tools being the gate to entry. The PHB is a inconsistent on exactly how this work. So I've rolled d20. Prof is +2, Dex is +3 - adjust as needed?)

(Waited 15 mins and edited in the last bit which disappeared when I submitted the post originally)

Strix, you hear a click and the (still rather warm) lock opens.  The door, though recently and briefly on fire, has not suffered major damage yet and swings open with a loud and atmospheric creak that would probably have alerted any nearby Redbrands to your presence if you hadn't killed or captured them all, at least as far as you know.

Inside, you find an armoury.  Racks of weapons line the walls, including spears, swords, crossbows, and bolts. A dozen dirty red cloaks hang from hooks by the door.  In total you find twelve spears, six shortswords, four longswords, six light crossbows, and eight quivers holding twenty crossbow bolts each.  None of them appear to be magical or of better than regular quality.