Celest smiles for the first time in reaction to Ghee agreeing to her request. Before she can pack, however, she turns round to show her bound arms to the albino dwarf. "If you remove my binds, I'll be able to pack faster."
While Ghee and Celest talk and Gnator helps her pack, Saros sneaks another look at the periapt. A few additional thoughts come to his mind:
Saros knows that the periapt is not as atrong as a phylactery, and as such, will not return slain alhoons to unlife. Instead, their minds are trapped in the periapt, able to commune with any other potentially slain alhoons trapped inside and sacrificed innocent souls needed to complete the initial ritual. Additionally, alhoons are not truly freed from the stream of time. The periapt allows them to survive only as long as the soul they sacrificed did. To endure the ages, alhoons must extend their lives by sacrificing more souls to the periapt, adding the life they’ve already lived to the end of the alhoon’s own. For this purpose, the very old and long-lived creatures such as elves are preferred. In other words, unless new souls are sacrificed into the periapt, Lord Weirding has no way out and his own corrupted soul may eventually perish.
Furthermore, the periapt confers the ability to communicate telepathically with the trapped souls, and any trapped alhoon souls can make telepathic contact with the wielder without prompting. You have advantage on any rolls you make against Lord Weirding while wielding the periapt.
After digesting these thoughts, Saros prepares another Detect Magic ritual. For the next 10 minutes, the rest of the party is made to wait. Bleep uses this time to remind the grungs and Ghee that Bloop (aka b'Loop) is still missing. Khan acknowledges the high priority the task at hand deserves, but also highlights that the group should stick together and move cautiously. Avoiding a glare at Ang's deformity, the orange grung then settles so that Saros can finish his ritual.
Eventually, Saros completes his casting and approaches the Study Library again. The wizard notices that the three locked glass cases that line the walls of this library are each a source of conjuring magic. The many books contained in these cases are not magical, but the special items in display within each of them are their own sources of magical force. The thick, upright, and ancient looking tome emanates a aura of necromancy. The small metal case that resembles an intricately decorated tinderbox seems to emanate magics belonging to all schools. The large potion vial and the attached scroll both emanate an essence belonging to the evocation school. As Saros suspected, the large painting on the back wall, the one reproducing the Study Library itself, is also magical. It gives off a conjuration essence. Finally, the doorway leading into the room is also magical. This one has an abjuration force attached to it.
From the hall, Saros does not see anything in the room that serves as an obvious indication of mechanical traps.
(@Muggshill: Given this new info, and instead of making the decision for you, I'll let you revisit the part of your post describing how you enter the room and interact with the various objects as you see fit.)
Taking in what Khan, Celeste and Ghee say, Saros feels a bit more confident about Celeste's welfare (and his own for that manner given the threat from Khan).
Feeling refreshed, Saros spends another 10 minutes casting Detect Magic before venturing toward the room containing the books and other artefacts, and on top of looking around the room before entering to determine magical sources, he also looks for more mundane things that might signal danger (Investigation check 10 for trip wires, pressure plates etc). If he doesn't discern anything, he will be extra cautious and lead with his staff pressing the ground before him and approaching each of the three glass cases to see what they are, although he suspects that the book might well be the prize Darrik and he were seeking.
If nothing obvious happens he will inspect the cases visually and magically, to see if there if any magic that might be triggered if the case is opened. If so, he will retreat out of the room and ask one of the others to break the cases from outside the room (better to be safe than get fried or worse). If nothing jumps out he will try to use his staff or something else that he can hold if possible, but if this does not work then he will thow caution to the wind and do it by hand, starting with the book, then the potion then the case(he figures that the grung has already plundered a reasonable share of items so will be looking for something that can benefit he and Darrik..
Aware of the fact that the doorway radiates magic, but he did not see any obvious Glyphs he turns to the others gathered and says "Lot's of magic it there, starting with the doorway itself which may have a warding or protection spell cast on it. I couldn't see any glyphs but I suggest you all try, but don't cross into the doorway. Once we get into the room, the painting has some sort of conjuration magic, no telling what might happen from there, but my guess is that something might trigger something to be conjured, and you should be aware that there are more pictures around with similar magic in the halls. The items in the cases are magic, but so are the cases, which have a similar spell type to the doorway. This room must hold Weirding's most prized treasures, so it will be warded."
He pauses to take a deep breath, then focuses on the doorway itself before turning to find Celeste, whom he asks "Celeste - Lord Weirding has cast lots of spells to protect this room......have you even been in there, do you know how to deactivate them or seen or heard Lord Weirding do anything before he enters? Gnator - same goes for you...have you seen or heard anything that might help?"
Just to progress things the avenues of inquiry don't provide a means to deactivate the magic
"Well.....unless one of you is reckless enought to want to walk straight in, the first course of action is to back up as far as we can an try to toss and then roll something into the room that has a decent weight to it, like that of a person. If that does not trigger anything then we should go and grab one or two of the bodies from outside and do the same with them," <if they find glyphs he adds - "trying to make sure that they hit the glyphs"
Saros specifies some of the magical details he collected to the rest of the group. He begs them to pay special attention to the doorway itself, and asks if anyone can locate any arcane glyphs on it. While he gives the group a chance to look, he goes back into Celest's room. There, he finds Ghee in the process of agreeing to cut Celest's bindings. Before actually doing so, however, the dwarven monk looks at Khan in order to make sure she is OK with it.
When given a chance, Saros asks Celest if she knows anything about the Study Library. It soon becomes obvious that the teenager was not allowed in that room. In fact, she barely left her own. When asked the same questions, Gnator reminds the group that he wasn't allowed on the third floor as a whole.
Saros returns to the edge of the Study Library and finds that no one was able to see any glyphs anywhere. He says (from the spoiler box in @MuggsHill's post):
"Well.....unless one of you is reckless enough to want to walk straight in, the first course of action is to back up as far as we can an try to toss and then roll something into the room that has a decent weight to it, like that of a person. If that does not trigger anything then we should go and grab one or two of the bodies from outside and do the same with them."
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Ang looks at the group getting ready. She sets back a couple more feet away, placing her at a safe distance, knowing she is the only one that can resurrect member on the brink of dying.
Darrik volunteers to take the more direct approach suggested by Saros. He turns into a hyena, allows Ghee a moment to tie a rope onto his new form, and then crosses the threshold into the Study Library. Those who are nearby can hear a small bell ring in the distance. They wait a few seconds and then a few minutes. Nothing else happens.
Now a bit closer to the glass cases, Hyenarik can tell the the little doors that would give access to the special items in display in each glass case are padlocked.
(OOC: Given @Ori's message in the OOC chat, we can also say that Ghee finished removing Celest's bindings.)
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Bleep tentatively watches as Hyenik touches stuff around the room. One thing has horrifically changed Ang, there's no guarantee something won't happen with randomly poking stuff.
Is the key to the front door that was on Weirding's body small enough to potentially fit these locks as well?
Saros messages Darrik to get him to report what he sees (assume that he can respond to inform him about the locks)
"Weirding must have a key somewhere....wait" Saros pulls out the key that fit the front door and seeing that no harm to Darrik (and perhaps the magic was just something that sounds a bell) decides to risk it and walks into the room to see whether the key might fit into these locks as well (noting that he does not try to insert just yet).
Khan is content to stay just outside the room by the door, dividing her attention between observing what happens inside and that of Celeste. Despite having given the go ahead to her unbinding, the orange yet didn't fully trust the teenager... or cared for her.
If nothing comes of the keys on Saros' person, Khan grimaces, before slowly looking to B'leep and Ang..
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Darrena/Hyenik begins to sniff around and send signals to his companions. Bleep, Ang, and Khan are not yet convinced that the Study Library is safe, so they stay outside. Saros, on the other hand, feels some courage fill his chest and walks inside. Ghee remains in the other room with Celest and Gnator for now, though Khan is also keeping an eye on them.
Once the transformed druid points out the padlocks to Saros, the wizard tries to figure out by eye measurement if the key he acquired from Lord Weirding might do the trick. Unfortunately, the key is too big for these padlocks.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Braced for the worst Ghee hears a tinkling bell and then...nothing... Leaning his head out of the room he yells, "WIZ THAT IT?! IS THA BIG DUG AWRIGHT?"
Shrugging to Celest and Gnator, he elaborates "Ah wiz expectin' something, Ah dunno, mair explosive?"
Catching Saros' question, he leans back out of the room, "AH'LL ASK 'EM! AH'LL TELL YE IF THEY KEN ANYTHIN'!"
Tucking his head back into the room he looks at Celest and Gnator, "Mah colleagues are wunderin' whether yer Step-Da had any sets o' keys he kept? Mebbies ones get his office?"
Insight25 - Just checking that Celest and Gnator aren't holding out on us, more suspicious of Gnator than Celest but still.
Gnator and Celest look at each other for a second and then back at Ghee and Saros. They shrug simultaneously, once again indicating they have little additional information to share. You are starting to note that Lord Weirding was not very forthcoming about the details of his experiments, or the contents of his rooms. Maybe his apprentice was in on some parts of it, but it doesn't look like anyone else was. He would have no reason to share these details with either Celest or Gnator, who were rarely graced with the Lord's presence to begin with.
Ghee finds that Celest and Gnator would have little reason at this point to lie or hide anything from the group. They are simply ignorant to all of the details of Lord Weirding's secret life/experiments/studies.
"Well, unless anyone else has any ideas, we might have to break some glass" Saros heads out of the room (and stays there) and asks one of the Grung to fire a bullet at the glass case containing the metal case (that looking like the most sturdy contents of the three).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;
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Celest smiles for the first time in reaction to Ghee agreeing to her request. Before she can pack, however, she turns round to show her bound arms to the albino dwarf. "If you remove my binds, I'll be able to pack faster."
While Ghee and Celest talk and Gnator helps her pack, Saros sneaks another look at the periapt. A few additional thoughts come to his mind:
Saros knows that the periapt is not as atrong as a phylactery, and as such, will not return slain alhoons to unlife. Instead, their minds are trapped in the periapt, able to commune with any other potentially slain alhoons trapped inside and sacrificed innocent souls needed to complete the initial ritual. Additionally, alhoons are not truly freed from the stream of time. The periapt allows them to survive only as long as the soul they sacrificed did. To endure the ages, alhoons must extend their lives by sacrificing more souls to the periapt, adding the life they’ve already lived to the end of the alhoon’s own. For this purpose, the very old and long-lived creatures such as elves are preferred. In other words, unless new souls are sacrificed into the periapt, Lord Weirding has no way out and his own corrupted soul may eventually perish.
Furthermore, the periapt confers the ability to communicate telepathically with the trapped souls, and any trapped alhoon souls can make telepathic contact with the wielder without prompting. You have advantage on any rolls you make against Lord Weirding while wielding the periapt.
After digesting these thoughts, Saros prepares another Detect Magic ritual. For the next 10 minutes, the rest of the party is made to wait. Bleep uses this time to remind the grungs and Ghee that Bloop (aka b'Loop) is still missing. Khan acknowledges the high priority the task at hand deserves, but also highlights that the group should stick together and move cautiously. Avoiding a glare at Ang's deformity, the orange grung then settles so that Saros can finish his ritual.
Eventually, Saros completes his casting and approaches the Study Library again. The wizard notices that the three locked glass cases that line the walls of this library are each a source of conjuring magic. The many books contained in these cases are not magical, but the special items in display within each of them are their own sources of magical force. The thick, upright, and ancient looking tome emanates a aura of necromancy. The small metal case that resembles an intricately decorated tinderbox seems to emanate magics belonging to all schools. The large potion vial and the attached scroll both emanate an essence belonging to the evocation school. As Saros suspected, the large painting on the back wall, the one reproducing the Study Library itself, is also magical. It gives off a conjuration essence. Finally, the doorway leading into the room is also magical. This one has an abjuration force attached to it.
From the hall, Saros does not see anything in the room that serves as an obvious indication of mechanical traps.
(@Muggshill: Given this new info, and instead of making the decision for you, I'll let you revisit the part of your post describing how you enter the room and interact with the various objects as you see fit.)
Aware of the fact that the doorway radiates magic, but he did not see any obvious Glyphs he turns to the others gathered and says "Lot's of magic it there, starting with the doorway itself which may have a warding or protection spell cast on it. I couldn't see any glyphs but I suggest you all try, but don't cross into the doorway. Once we get into the room, the painting has some sort of conjuration magic, no telling what might happen from there, but my guess is that something might trigger something to be conjured, and you should be aware that there are more pictures around with similar magic in the halls. The items in the cases are magic, but so are the cases, which have a similar spell type to the doorway. This room must hold Weirding's most prized treasures, so it will be warded."
He pauses to take a deep breath, then focuses on the doorway itself before turning to find Celeste, whom he asks "Celeste - Lord Weirding has cast lots of spells to protect this room......have you even been in there, do you know how to deactivate them or seen or heard Lord Weirding do anything before he enters? Gnator - same goes for you...have you seen or heard anything that might help?"
Just to progress things the avenues of inquiry don't provide a means to deactivate the magic
"Well.....unless one of you is reckless enought to want to walk straight in, the first course of action is to back up as far as we can an try to toss and then roll something into the room that has a decent weight to it, like that of a person. If that does not trigger anything then we should go and grab one or two of the bodies from outside and do the same with them," <if they find glyphs he adds - "trying to make sure that they hit the glyphs"
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;
Ghee waits for the nod from Khan before removing Celest's bindings, but moves in to untie the girl assuming that it will come.
Saros specifies some of the magical details he collected to the rest of the group. He begs them to pay special attention to the doorway itself, and asks if anyone can locate any arcane glyphs on it. While he gives the group a chance to look, he goes back into Celest's room. There, he finds Ghee in the process of agreeing to cut Celest's bindings. Before actually doing so, however, the dwarven monk looks at Khan in order to make sure she is OK with it.
When given a chance, Saros asks Celest if she knows anything about the Study Library. It soon becomes obvious that the teenager was not allowed in that room. In fact, she barely left her own. When asked the same questions, Gnator reminds the group that he wasn't allowed on the third floor as a whole.
Saros returns to the edge of the Study Library and finds that no one was able to see any glyphs anywhere. He says (from the spoiler box in @MuggsHill's post):
(OOC: What is the group doing?)
Darrik shrugs.
”I ken walk in. Not afraid o’ some trap.”
Check out my Extended signature here
Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
"Right, crazy it is....well just in case, someone tie some rope around him and back up 20 ft or so...."
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;
Darrik holds up a finger.
"Wait, wait. That will nae fit me."
He morphs into a giant hyena, then waits for someone to tie the rope.
Check out my Extended signature here
Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Seen as he is already holding some rope, Ghee shrugs then ties a loop of it around the rear paw of a slightly green hued
bearhyena."Ain't nae one gonna believe Ah done this..."
(DDB is being screwy with editing—that’s supposed to say hyena but it’s not saving the change.)
Check out my Extended signature here
Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Ang looks at the group getting ready. She sets back a couple more feet away, placing her at a safe distance, knowing she is the only one that can resurrect member on the brink of dying.
Currently Playing: Regdus Ironfist (Greyhawk) Lvl 1 Storm Sorcerer ; Goraseth Drerjoxian (Icespeak) Lvl 3 Paladin Oath of Glory; Lerak (The Wild Beyond the Witchlight) Lvl 3 Barbarian Wild Magic
In Pause: Grimnir " Shadow-Feet", Lv 11 Owner of "The Basilisk & the Monk" (OotA) - Kurma Kappa, Lv 8 Priest of Oghma (ToA)
Currently DM'ing: Princes of Apocalypse >> Tomb of Annihilation
Darrik volunteers to take the more direct approach suggested by Saros. He turns into a hyena, allows Ghee a moment to tie a rope onto his new form, and then crosses the threshold into the Study Library. Those who are nearby can hear a small bell ring in the distance. They wait a few seconds and then a few minutes. Nothing else happens.
Now a bit closer to the glass cases, Hyenarik can tell the the little doors that would give access to the special items in display in each glass case are padlocked.
(OOC: Given @Ori's message in the OOC chat, we can also say that Ghee finished removing Celest's bindings.)
Darrena gives the cases a good hearty sniff, trying to signal via body movements that he’s inquiring about whether he should break the cases or not.
Check out my Extended signature here
Class Guides: Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer, Bard General Guides: PvP
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Bleep tentatively watches as Hyenik touches stuff around the room. One thing has horrifically changed Ang, there's no guarantee something won't happen with randomly poking stuff.
Extended Signature
Is the key to the front door that was on Weirding's body small enough to potentially fit these locks as well?
Saros messages Darrik to get him to report what he sees (assume that he can respond to inform him about the locks)
"Weirding must have a key somewhere....wait" Saros pulls out the key that fit the front door and seeing that no harm to Darrik (and perhaps the magic was just something that sounds a bell) decides to risk it and walks into the room to see whether the key might fit into these locks as well (noting that he does not try to insert just yet).
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;
Khan is content to stay just outside the room by the door, dividing her attention between observing what happens inside and that of Celeste. Despite having given the go ahead to her unbinding, the orange yet didn't fully trust the teenager... or cared for her.
If nothing comes of the keys on Saros' person, Khan grimaces, before slowly looking to B'leep and Ang..
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Darrena/Hyenik begins to sniff around and send signals to his companions. Bleep, Ang, and Khan are not yet convinced that the Study Library is safe, so they stay outside. Saros, on the other hand, feels some courage fill his chest and walks inside. Ghee remains in the other room with Celest and Gnator for now, though Khan is also keeping an eye on them.
Once the transformed druid points out the padlocks to Saros, the wizard tries to figure out by eye measurement if the key he acquired from Lord Weirding might do the trick. Unfortunately, the key is too big for these padlocks.
"Gnator, Celest" Saros calls out "you ever seen the Lord with another other keys?"
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;
Braced for the worst Ghee hears a tinkling bell and then...nothing... Leaning his head out of the room he yells, "WIZ THAT IT?! IS THA BIG DUG AWRIGHT?"
Shrugging to Celest and Gnator, he elaborates "Ah wiz expectin' something, Ah dunno, mair explosive?"
Catching Saros' question, he leans back out of the room, "AH'LL ASK 'EM! AH'LL TELL YE IF THEY KEN ANYTHIN'!"
Tucking his head back into the room he looks at Celest and Gnator, "Mah colleagues are wunderin' whether yer Step-Da had any sets o' keys he kept? Mebbies ones get his office?"
Insight 25 - Just checking that Celest and Gnator aren't holding out on us, more suspicious of Gnator than Celest but still.
Gnator and Celest look at each other for a second and then back at Ghee and Saros. They shrug simultaneously, once again indicating they have little additional information to share. You are starting to note that Lord Weirding was not very forthcoming about the details of his experiments, or the contents of his rooms. Maybe his apprentice was in on some parts of it, but it doesn't look like anyone else was. He would have no reason to share these details with either Celest or Gnator, who were rarely graced with the Lord's presence to begin with.
Ghee finds that Celest and Gnator would have little reason at this point to lie or hide anything from the group. They are simply ignorant to all of the details of Lord Weirding's secret life/experiments/studies.
"Well, unless anyone else has any ideas, we might have to break some glass" Saros heads out of the room (and stays there) and asks one of the Grung to fire a bullet at the glass case containing the metal case (that looking like the most sturdy contents of the three).
"Bubbles the Barbarian" (Locathah - Lvl 9) - Locathah Rising; Shai'ere Delatete (Githyanki Monk - Lvl 9) Rrakkma (deceased - MindFlayer); Saros Rockfoot (Deep Gnome Diviner - Lvl 5) - The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above; Tagret (Goliath Barbarian - Lvl 2) - Tales of Faerun;