IC II Toes In The Water

[Athedia]

Natalia had read the inscription before Mithril could see it clearly. Seeing her surrounded by an amber light Mithril screamed shaking her shoulders."NO! Natalia, come back, wake up."

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Spellcraft (1d20+8)[19]

Realizing what spell this is Mithril collapsed, covering her eyes. "Don't read the inscription, it's the Snake. It traps all who read the words attached for days on end. I have heard of it lasting from two days to a month depending on how strong the mage who cast it was. I can't fix it, only time or the original caster can. Why did you have to read it Natalia, let me take magic risks. Why?" Mithril broke down crying, the whole day had been one near death experience after another and now, now my closest friend is trapped and I can't help

[Zman]

Mithril recognizes the spell by description. She had read about it in a dusty tome, the spell immobilizes someone after they read the hidden rune for many days until the spells effects wear off, or until the creator of the spell releases those held.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Having been frozen just as she had begun to leap out of the way, Natalia, off-balance, tips over and lands sideways on the ground like a statue knocked down. She still doesn't move.

[Zman]

Valen, silent, simply walks forward and places his hand on Mithril's back.

[achinca]

Miriam waits until Valen explains the situation. She has been totally out of it in the cave. Calric is again on her mind and it is clouding her judgement.

"There is nothing I can do to the rogue. A dispel magic is the best solution but I am too weak a cleric to do it. If only there was someone we could pay to perform the spell."

[Admiral]

Shiny stares blankly at the fallen rogue. For once, words seem to fail him utterly.

[Zman]

"Silent Trickster, no levity for this situation?" Valen takes some of his frustration over Natalia's situation out on the Gnome.

Looking to the rest of them, "What should we do?" Valen's gaze moves to the swirling mass of fog but ten feet in from of them.

[CoffeeIncluded]

At this point Natalia would suggest that they leave and look for someone capable of breaking the enchantment, but she is completely unaware of her surroundings; her mind is shunted off somewhere else. She doesn't even know that she fell over.

[Zman]

Whiskers is agitated and extremely restless. He keeps moving around, out of his pocket to being perched on your shoulder, and he is sending excitement through your epathic link, more than you've felt before. His little eyes are fixated upon the swirling foggy mass ahead of you.

What is even more alarming is that you left the small white weasel at he cave entrance and do not remember him stowing away in your pocket. It flt so natural for him to scurry up your shoulder it took a second to register.

[Athedia]

"Whiskers?" Mithril plucked the weasel off her shoulder and stared at him in confusion. "But I told you to watch the entrance." Looking at the frozen body of Natalia lying on the ground her eyes widened. "If her trap went off, we won't know. There may be orcs in here right now!" Whiskers squirmed, still excited by the swirling fog. Placing him back on her shoulder Mithril struggled to move Natalia to a more stable position. "I don't know why he is here now, but Whiskers seems to want to know what is inside there. If there is a chance that it could help Natalia I will take that. If not, well it should be safer back there."

[Cavelcade]

Kurt stares as the young rogue falls freezes and then falls over, his face a grim mask of shock which transforms slowly into anger. Grumbling darkly in dwarvish, he stares at the darkness ahead of them. "Maybe the next room can heal her? We are no enemies of his...we must free her from this prison as soon as possible!"

With that, and without waiting for the others to follow, Kurt moves forward into the darkness, his focus honed with his anger as he goes under the archway.

[Zman]

As Kurt plumges through the Archway, Valen, his Greatsword in hand merely lets out an exhilarion and plunges through the fog after him it hour a moments notice...

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Kurt, a man of action!

[Zman]

Kurt and Valem plunge through the Archway, the most surprising sensation is a lack of anything harmful and the light that greets you through the dark fog. The fog doesn't impede you and you find yourself in a large circular room with smooth stone floors and a tall rounded archway. 8 torches are buning along the walls keeping the room brightly lit. There is another archway with a stairs opposite you, the stairs are vaguely blurred as if peering through poorly wrought glass.

The distortion is the same when you look back through the Archway you've just entered, your companions have a look of shock and you can hear their gasps and objections as clear as if you were right next to them. When you call to them they cannot hear you as if the barrier you passed blocks all sound and sight.

As you look around the room the most notable features are a large workbench littered with items including a few rods, spellbook, and parchments; a large chair, almost a throne with the desiccated skeleton of a man with a long white beard sitting on it; a table, and a wardrobe and bed.

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The barrier was a Mages Private Sanctum, OOC of course.

Calling back to his companions, "Tis safe, bring her across." But they do not hear...

[CoffeeIncluded]

If the others were to leave Natalia on the ground alone, she wouldn't know it. Of course, if they were to carry her through the arch, she wouldn't know it either.

[achinca]

Miriam sees the warriors get through the arch and decides to follow them through the arch.

[Zman]

Miriam crosses th threshold and encounters the same room Kurt and Valen did, though her more attuned senses tell her that this was his home, and that he was just a man, an old man that liked his privacy and just wanted to work...but, he was still a Wizard and could flex some serious arcane might if he so chose. And like many Wizards he did not want to give up what he had lightly...

[CoffeeIncluded]

If Natalia were conscious, she would have paid the man his respects, then started scouring the room for any potential traps.

[Cavelcade]

After a few moments blinking in the rather queer light, Kurt shrugs and goes back out to the others. "Looks like the dead man's back there. It's safe for us to cross the threshold." Squatting, he quickly picks Natalia up in a fireman lift and carries her into the room.

[achinca]

Miriam looks around the room and tries to infuse some wisdom in the group "I am just a simple cleric of St. Cuthbert so powerful arcane magic is a mystery to me. However, ever a stupid farm girl would know that someone who decides to set up residence in the hills and put up so many elaborate defenses enjoys his privacy and has probably a few tricks to prevent noisy visitors from finding too much. Our trap monkey is in a statue like condition right now so I would advise every one to be very careful when going over stuff in here and touching stuff. Our first goal would be to find if there is something we can do to help Natalia. Next, we should bring back what we find back to Max, if we can establish the skeleton is of his ancestor. I also would not mind if we could put some gold aside to help the citizens of Linwood and the orphans I promised to help."

[Admiral]

"Natalia wasn't the only one who knew how to find and disable traps," says Shiny quietly, having followed Miriam into the room. For some reason he doesn't elaborate on the history and professions of some 'Shiny Snaresetter.' "She was simply the best at it. Don't touch anything until I've checked it first."

He looks over at the table covered in scrolls and rods. "That could have the magic we need to release her." He steps over carefully, checking each tile for traps, until he reaches the table. Once there, he sees whether anything on the table is rigged such that he cannot remove it safely.

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Would I be able to take 20 on checking the table for traps? I remember you mentioned that it would take a few minutes (can't remember how long), but we have time.

If not, you can roll secretly.

[achinca]

Miriam chuckles "Wisdom coming out of Shiny's mouth. This cave is truly magical...."

[Athedia]

Mithril watched the rest of the group enter the fog. "Wait! I promised..." But they were gone. Realizing that if she wanted to keep her promise to Natalia she would need to bring her along she linked her hands underneath the girls arms. Good thing she is so small Walking backwards through the mist she dragged the rogue with her.

[Zman]

Shiny changes for a moment, behind his wry smile there is a look of seriousness as the charismatic Gnome puts forth a level of work and concentration that he had never exhibited before. Careful not to touch anything he scours the surface for traps over the course of a couple of minutes, not finding any....but Shiny knows that his skill only goes so far and that magical traps are particularily dangerous and difficult to detect.

Shiny finds one Open spellbook, worn but very well constructed, four rods, a bunch if papers which have nearly been discintegrated by time and couldn't be read if he had wanted to. There are remnant of mystical diagrams and scribblings, but it would take someone skilled to decider even what they were. Set neatly together on discintegrated velvet cloth are two crystals, both distinct and unique from each other.

With a stroke of luck, Shiny had he been any taller he would have complety missed the slender piece of wood that had fallen behind the workbench.

The most obvious thing Shiny found was an extremely Ornate Dagger balanced on its tip as if suspended in the air. Upon close inspection, it is indeed balancing on its tip.

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Knowledge Arcana on the two Crystals
Knowledge Arcan DC5 on the stick, surprise, it's a wand.

[Zman]

As Kurt helps Mithril through the fog with the slender Rogue, Mithril sees the room differently than her companions. She sees a mystical workshop, complete with everything the aged Artificer would need for his craft.

[Zman]

Valen, offers a few words in Draconic before his eyes glow and he slowly scans the room, looking at everything in turn, careful not to read any written inscriptions.

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Knowledge Arcana(d20+6)[17]
Knowledge Arcana(d20+6)[25]

Spellcraft(+6)(10d20)[10][16][11][16][9][8][9][7][3][17](106)

[Athedia]

Propping Natalia against a wall, Mithril looked around in awe. "This was his secret, his workshop. He must have spent years down here fiddling." Going over to the skeleton she knelt down "Boccob bless you. We are only here to help your ancestors, not to harm your work or use it for evil."

[Zman]

Whiskers is apparently undaunted in this room and scurries off of Mithril and begins exploring the room on his tiny little legs.

As Mithril goes to the skeleton and offers her words, nothing happens.

[Admiral]

Shiny points out the items on the table, especially the crystals, then picks up the stick carefully. He turns to Valen and Mithril and shows them the stick. "Thoughts?"

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Perhaps Shiny should pick up some Knowledge Arcana later, along with UMD. He's got plenty of points but a lot of skills (bluff, diplomacy, sense motive) to max out.

He also points to the dagger. "That bother anyone else?"

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Want to see if arcane sight reveals anything. If not, will try to throw something from across the room to see if it can be knocked over.

[achinca]

Miriam has no knowledge of arcana but knows a thing ortwo about spellcraft so she looks around the room to see if anything becomes clearer.

"Would a detect magic spell help?" asks the cleric.

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Spellcraft skill check
rolled a few if separate are needed or use the first one
(1d20+2)[8]
(1d20+2)[20]
(1d20+2)[3]
(1d20+2)[17]
(1d20+2)[19]

[Zman]

When Shiny looks at the Dagger with his Arcane Sight he sees a powerful, yet chaotic aura which means little to the Gnome.

Valen, still staring at the Dagger, "It's aura is powerful, chaotic when it should be steady, similar to the staff, yet orders of magnitude more powerful. This must be a creation of his.". Looking at the Crystals, "Those crystals are interesting, I can't be sure about the first, but the second...it's an Artificer's crystal, used to identify items."

Valen continues his gaze, staring at each item in turn. He also focuses on the skeleton of Alabaster. "There are many Auras coming fom his skeleton, his ankle, two rings, his head, and his right hand.". Th corpse is wearing a circlet, a glove only on one hand, two rings, and a metal bracelet around his ankle.

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Artificers Crystal: Essentiall an Artificerss Monacle, but takes an hour to work, not a minute. Also valued at 5k. Because I think a Minacle is stupid, and is underpriced.