The Principality of Valorium. [IC]

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Having been informed by Joy-lan about what he sensed around the campsite, Caleun walks unsteadily towards the trees between which hangs the single decaying spider silk thread. Thank goodness Joy-lan told me. Sune only knows how we could've seen this otherwise. How the seven hells did he know of its existance, though?, Caleun thinks once he finds it. Being extremelly careful not to touch it in any way, he examines it, looking for a purpose or any kind of mechanism or trap it may be meant to trigger. He takes as much time as he needs to do so.

Once he has finished with the thread, he locates the breadbox and, (assuming it is not somehow connected to the thread), he does the same check of the lock and lid.

Actions: Take 20 on searching for traps (+5) in both thread and box. If he finds nothing, Caleun clearly marks the situation of the thread to make sure no-one stumbles on it, and calls for a second opinion from Tanstafaal. Further actions will depend on what is found.

Actions deleted as per DM posting after this; I am sorry, I assumed that anything posted in OOC is meant to be generaly known - i.e. something that one character communicates to all - and that anything that is exclusive knowledge to a particular character would be PM'ed.

[Glyphic]

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I am not sure if Tyriq Pm'd you, but if you're going off information other people haven't chosen to share, or post about yet, I have to ask that you give them their fair chance. Also- the strand is certainly underground ( a few inches at most) and the box is somewhere; likely also underground.

Also, a warning: taking 20 assumes you Fail at some point. Be careful when investigating traps.

Edit: And it's Jyo-lan!

[Tyriq]

Jyo-lan

Jyo-lan slowly opens his eyes and his concentration fades.

"Everyone... be careful. I sensed a metal box here... but also a thread? Spider silk? I think there's a clue here to who uses this campsite... but it might be a trap or device of some kind... Does anyone have experience in this sort of thing? Buried secret boxes are a bit outside my realm of expertise."

[Beschoren]

Tasntaffal

He tells to everyone his dicoveries about the campsite (OCC stuff): "... and so be carefull, stick close, and let's put torches everywere...", as well as the sherrif's wife: "...she seemed like transparent. did you guys notice that? ghosts freeks me out...". he seems to have greatly respected Jyo-lan's powers, but says nothing. He liked Kha too, since the animal like the wild so much and, heck, it's a inteligent talking bird familiar- you don't see that everyday. he did not bother about the fiendsh friends of any of his companions.
he's much more confortable then in the night before
"Soren, is there anything we could do about your armor? your.. lame ..pace is slowing us down. I could lend you my chain shirt if you want it, until we get closer to the camp. Just' don't expect me to rush into danger if so"

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search check in the area Jyo-Ian said to be the wires and the box: take 20. If can't, take 10. If can't, (1d20+7)[19] for wires and (1d20+7)[24] for box

[MorkaisChosen]

Rodion

Rodion puts his hand to hi sword hilt- perhaps pointlessly, but when the other inhabitants of the camp are mentioned, he stays on guard.

"Spider silk, you say? That could be important, if that is truly what it is."

[Glyphic]

The sun slowly falls to the western horizon as you investigate your campsite. The sky turns a hazy orange as sunset approaches, mixed with cream-colored bands of fluffy clouds, soaring high above summits of Roke's peaks. The rain lands upon your shoulders with gentle taps. The call of birds sounds in the distance, as they say their parting chirps to each other.

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It takes you careful digging and a good half hour to excavate a few inches on either side of the spidersilk thread, without disturbing it. It proves nonthreatening and unattached to any trap or device meant for harm. Fully stretched out, it's 13ft in length.

The box proves more difficult to locate. Without a good, trusty shovel (or perhaps strong canine legs for digging), the packed ground would take over half the evening to exhume..assuming you started in the correct spot.

[Miraqariftsky]

Soren Solaren

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((I trust neither system nor server anymore. Last night I had a three-pager all typed up--- even put it on Word, but the whole ensemble suddenly went BOOM. Please forgive the subpar post until I tide over to more stable times Yeesh, and I don't even use smilies all that often, so yeah, 'tis big...))

Detect Evil is now on active scanning.

Watching out:
Listen (1d20+3)[17]
Spot (1d20+4)[6]

Looking around:
Search (1d20+2)[5]
Survival (1d20+2)[13]
Spellcraft (1d20+2)[15]
General Int check (1d20+2)[14]
General Wis check (1d20+2)[11]

>Soren meditated through armed calisthenics and sang hymns together with Alvakshta. Donned his armour with her help and gave charge of the church to Dostt. Gave a sermon in the plaza and said farewell to his flock. Went back to the inn, bought a horse for the price of one potion, one oil, one flask of highlander whisky and two gold pieces.

By then the others had long gone--- Srikun is a hard bargainer--- saying hurried thanks and farewells to Gerald and Adelaide, he had to ride hard just to catch up with them. He and his horse panted and lagged for a while but the rain cooled them down. Unfortunately, the constant pattering on his helmet and armour drove him near crazy and he had to grit his teeth while explaining to Tanstafaal that "The fire of faith takes its on different forms with every person. For those pure of heart and strong of sinew, this often took the form of a desire to bring justice, mercy and love into the world, punishing oppressors and avenging the wronged"

When they reach their current campsite, he joins in the excavation and investigation using a makeshift wooden scoop fashioned from bits of wood gathered along the way. As they explore the strange object, he reaches into the divine fire within and tries to light the way, seeking to know if anything around them is, or was tainted...

[Glyphic]

Ooc: My head hurts. I apologize for not posting, and the potential shortness of this post.

A few hours pass as you toil in the earth with makeshift shovels made of flattened rocks or curved and sharpened pieces of wood. A little guidance and a little luck brings you nineteen feet from Jyo-lan's meditation, and four feet down. Bloody triangles. Thankfully, no one decided to pile rocks in the way of your digging. The hole you dig isn't very artistic, but that's a minor point.

A box, coated with oxidized pig-iron bolted onto wood is your treasure. No lock rests on it, and it easily weighs in excess of 60 pounds. By popping of the end of it, you reap what lies within..

A crinkled parchment of paper in an ornate scroll tube.
This is a crinkled parchment of paper, lined with a deep red boarder. The symbol of the Crown, a faded emblem of The Flame of the West, and various signatures. It suffers from minor damage due to insects.

A heavy stone: (detects as magic)
This oval stone is jet black and polished. It is three inches in diameter, and bears a swirl of runes on one side. It is inexplicably heavy, and is most of the weight of the box. (45 pounds)

A sizeable chunk of bug-chewed rock candy: (detects as unappetizing)
For whatever reason, this batch of crystalized sugar was left in the box. Bugs have found their way to it.

A black-tarnished silver goblet:
Small, stout and lightly corroded, this goblet could catch a fair market price. The base is etched with tiny little crowns. The initials J.L are badly inscribed on the bottom.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Ooc: My head hurts. I apologize for not posting, and the potential shortness of this post.

A few hours pass as you toil in the earth with makeshift shovels made of flattened rocks or curved and sharpened pieces of wood. A little guidance and a little luck brings you nineteen feet from Jyo-lan's meditation, and four feet down. Bloody triangles. Thankfully, no one decided to pile rocks in the way of your digging. The hole you dig isn't very artistic, but that's a minor point.

A box, coated with oxidized pig-iron bolted onto wood is your treasure. No lock rests on it, and it easily weighs in excess of 60 pounds. By popping of the end of it, you reap what lies within..

A crinkled parchment of paper in an ornate scroll tube.
This is a crinkled parchment of paper, lined with a deep red boarder. The symbol of the Crown, a faded emblem of The Flame of the West, and various signatures. It suffers from minor damage due to insects.

A heavy stone: (detects as magic)
This oval stone is jet black and polished. It is three inches in diameter, and bears a swirl of runes on one side. It is inexplicably heavy, and is most of the weight of the box. (45 pounds)

A sizeable chunk of bug-chewed rock candy: (detects as unappetizing)
For whatever reason, this batch of crystalized sugar was left in the box. Bugs have found their way to it.

A black-tarnished silver goblet:
Small, stout and lightly corroded, this goblet could catch a fair market price. The base is etched with tiny little crowns. The initials J.L are badly inscribed on the bottom.

Caleun Tranil, disguised as old diplomat

Caleun walks unsteadily to the objects, and takes a look at them, "I think that rock there must be to stop animals from taking the box, and I'm thinking the rock sugar was meant to keep insects away from the paper, by giving them something tastier. Speaking of which - can't say where my mind goes these days, why in my youth I'd have already acted instead of so much talk, but then we don't get rock candy like we used to..." Caleun divagates for a while, before getting to the point and reading the parchment aloud to the group

[Glyphic]

Caleun's words echo in your minds as he reads them aloud.. the sensation slightly stings with faint tinges of magic, as the words demand authority..

"By the will of..
Terrance of Brinnlaw
Magus Antonin
Rados Diocletian
Theia Neveaux
And other respected members of the Principality:

Passage is granted to those who bear this writ."

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Caleun Tranil

"Ummm... a Flame of the West safeconduct," says Caleun, once he is finished reading it, "maybe it'll help to have it. Assuming troglodytes understand common and give a rat's ass about what the Flame commands, that is. I believe it will be most useful for the diplomatic team, an extra arrow in our quiver, so to speak. Unless anyone objects, I will carry it for the time being"

[Miraqariftsky]

Soren Solaren

"Well... so mote it be, if so it is" Soren says, seemingly nonplussed by the acquisition of what must be an important document. Wiping off his soiled hands on his trouser legs, he says with a sigh, "So, a swift dinner and the setting of the watches, eh, fellows?"

[MorkaisChosen]

Rodion

"Useful," the half-orc says, glancing at the parchment. "It may not impress the troglodytes, but we should keep it anyway..."

[Duke of URL]

Trevor

Trevor concentrates on the stone for a while. "No, it's not just there for weight... it radiates some magical traces. A strong one... of abjuration, I believe." He concentrates a little longer. "And a fainter trace of evocation."

He stops, looks up and smiles. "Still no idea what it does, but it's clearly magical."

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Trevor

Trevor concentrates on the stone for a while. "No, it's not just there for weight... it radiates some magical traces. A strong one... of abjuration, I believe." He concentrates a little longer. "And a fainter trace of evocation."

He stops, looks up and smiles. "Still no idea what it does, but it's clearly magical."

Caleun Tranil, disguised as old diplomat

"Hehehehe... you youngsters, always seeking the complex explanaition. I remember when I was like that. I was already fairly certain it was magical - no material I know can weight that much in such a small frame without a little "help". Not even gold, or lead, and this rock is certainly neither. Nonetheless, what other purpose can a heavy stone have? At worst, it has other magiks that could prove dangerous, at best it will be a bother to carry. I am in awe of your young eyes, though. I wish I could tell one magik from another," says Caleun, in a jovial, if unsteady voice, "Still, like my old grampa used to say - way back in the year of the flaming duck, not that you youngsters where alive then - better safe than sorry, eh? If you wish, we can take it with us, although poor Phil will complain, asuming that thing doesn't punch a whole in the rickshaw, or you may be able to tell what magiks infuse it with more study?"

[Duke of URL]

Trevor

"I'm sure some... experimentation... will eventually determine its usage, though I'm not sure it would be safe to do with so many around. As for the weight, well," he pats his haversack, "magic is a good thing to put to use, is it not?"

[Beschoren]

Tanstafaal

"Terrance of Brinnlaw? Magus Antonin? Rados Diocletian? Theia Neveaux? who are those?" he says, confused "I would not like to carry the trusted word of someone I don't know is an actual friend or foe..."
"let's keep the stone. I'ts a nice sling bullet at least"

[Glyphic]

The hours fade past as you talk and reflect about your up coming day, decide on watches and get meals made. And hopefully someone gives Tanstafaal a history lesson. The air is cool, and the winds are low and create subtle swishes in the trees around you. If you're lighting a fire, it's fairly easy to start, despite the rain..

Night creeps in, covering the land in a blanket of light fog. Rain drips down your sides, and the torches occasionally drown out, worn out from the moisture. Schroedinger's campfire cackles and pops as the wood adjusts itself. The moon hangs somewhere in the sky, occluded from sight.

An hour into the first watch, long, dull scraping sounds are heard from the north of camp, nearing the edge of your lights. The fog and lack of reliable light makes any definition hard to see, at one hundred feet or there about away. But yet.. there's something. A glance left, and a glance right- Torches boarding those sides of camp have sputtered into darkness.

Something edges closer, along the hedges of your vision...

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Anyone that wants to can be awake already; I've rolled spot and listen checks for everyone, as well as opposed checks for what ever is out there.. (it will become more visible at 50ft)

You estimate you have about two rounds at worst to accomplish anything.

Also, Duke of URL.. are you really putting that stone in your haversack?

[Beschoren]

Tasnstafaal

He gives a short, enigmatic smile: It was about time...."Something aproches. Stick close, casters in the middle, don't fallow me." he keeps a pretty normal tune, as if he just told you about what he ate on breakfast.

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actions: draw bow, ativate Lesser Crystal of ilumination (wepon agment crystal)(20 ft of light + 20 ft of low light), moves 10ft away from the fireplace. initiative: (1d20+4)[9]. If I get any more actions before actualy seeing anything, I set ready an atack action against any non-human or demi-human that comes within sight. I won't atack if an ally is providing cover to the invasor.

[Tyriq]

Jyo-lan

Jyo-lan looks around, concerned at the ominous fog. Rain into the evening, with tomorrow being partly cloudy with a chance of sun.... There's no mention of an ominous fog. This might not be natural... it might be... danger.

Hoping to use the fog to cover his actions, Jyo-lan quickly begins muttering a spell, distracted by a thought: I wonder if this is what happened to the person who owned the things in the box?

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Does Jyo-lan have a chance to determine if the fog is natural with a spellcraft check? If so, here it is. If not, please disregard.

Spellcraft: (1d20+11)[19]

Casting: Silent Image, to create the illusion of another tree in the campsite. The trunk is large enough that Jyo-lan can hide inside the space it occupies. Hopefully the creation of this extra tree won't be noticed by creatures outside the fog, and will keep him safe until his healing abilities are required.

Resist DC: Will 15 for creatures that interact with the illusion.

[Duke of URL]

Trevor

Trevor discretely moves toward the most protected part of the camp, ready to provide whatever help he can... from behind, of course.

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Also, Duke of URL.. are you really putting that stone in your haversack?

Ummm... yes? I guess so -- you said it was about 60 pounds, right? The Handy Haversack should be able to hold that and its current contents without trouble (although I'm ballparking the numbers right now), though that would probably be about it, weight-wise.

[MorkaisChosen]

Rodion

Rodion rises, drawing his sword- a large greatsword, its beautiful elven craftsmanship seems incongruous in the hands of the battered half-orc- and looking round the area, watching for danger and listening out. His stance is low, balanced, centred, seeming to give an impression of immovability.

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Entering Stonefoot Stance, draw the swortd, obviously.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Caleun Tranil

Caleun will hide in the shadows amongst the trees, close to the most likely arrival point to the clearing. As he hobbles over, he says, "If you warriors stop them around here, I'll catch them unaware from behind. I've got my sap to put a few to sleep, so if they are trogs, we can send them back with the message for parley."

Once under the shadows, Caleun unsheathes his short sword and pulls out his sap. He adopts a defensive position, hides and waits.

Actions: Hide (Caleun keeps close-ish to the clearing to see when to pop in, so he probably doesn't have total concealment) (1d20+9)[25]

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Ummm... yes? I guess so -- you said it was about 60 pounds, right? The Handy Haversack should be able to hold that and its current contents without trouble (although I'm ballparking the numbers right now), though that would probably be about it, weight-wise.

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Maybe mixing two magic objects is not the best of ideas? What would happen if you put a bag of holding in you HHH? Maybe you're risking something similar?

[DaTedinator]

Kojiro

Kojiro stood silently, gathering the incantation to summon a Lemure in his mind. He knew, though, that he would possibly need to act quickly; thus he also was prepared to unleash an unearthly howl if things should turn violent. He held hopes that they wouldn't, though.

He stayed within the middle of the group, but tried to position himself to have an opening at the attackers where he wouldn't blast his allies, too.

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Sorry for being gone-ish, storms have been happening, power's been unreliable.

Anyway, readied action for a Fiendish Howl should anyone attack.

[Glyphic]

A fraction of a minute passes. Deliberate, drawn out scratching sounds permeate your ears, coming from the north side of camp. Brief, sinuous chanting arises, and a torch on the north side of camp expires as down pour of water quenches it. Then, the clawed footfalls continue to creep forward, at a cautious pace..

Soren, Rodion, and Trevor miss the shapes by mere moments as the torch light fails. The rest of you see four bi-pedal, scales humanoids. Slender, curved tails follow their measured movements, and dull onyx eyes sit above their cruel-toothed maws. All have a javelins, and two of them are gripping massive cudgels. The other two are laden with leather-sewn sacks, and only bare their claws. The darkness occludes their movement, before your eyes are able to take in any more.

Their claws still alert you to their presence. These troglodytes are traveling at a snail's pace, counter-clockwise about your camp. Currently, they're at 11 o'clock, about fifty feet away.

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Anyone able to do so, it's a DC 15 to recognize that they used create water to drown a torch.

Jyo-lan, the fog is a normal weather pattern. I forgot to mention it, as it's a localized effect for the coastal area.

You're not certain if your 'disguise' is working. Then again.. how can you be?

Trevor: Alright; in the haversack the stone goes. it only weighs 45 pounds. You're golden as far as space goes. The rest of the chest and other items weighed near 15 pounds.

Beschoren: The verb, To Fallow: : to plow, harrow, and break up (land) without seeding to destroy weeds and conserve soil moisture.

As amusing as it is to tell your team mates not to do that to you, I think you meant 'follow'. Otherwise, you're doing good.

[Duke of URL]

Trevor

"So," he whispers, "anyone in the mood for diplomacy, or shall we start with a show of force?"

[Tyriq]

Jyo-lan

...is still a tree.

[MorkaisChosen]

Rodion

Not seeing the scaled forms, Rodion replies, "If it is a group of Troglodytes, a diplomatic solution first would probably be best- I believe our appearance alone may make a good enough show," tapping a knuckle on his long, slender sword as he does so.

[Beschoren]

Tastafaal

(anoyed)"Yeah, I'm ready to give a karmic diplomacy on their heads. I'll shot anything that gets close. I've seen the bastards north of us, we're the prey here."

actions: Set ready atack action against anything that charges to us in 20 ft. moves 10ft (skirmishing) and stays between the casters and the noises to the north, side-by-side with the fighters.

[Miraqariftsky]

Soren Solaren

Soren had woken, as he is wont, an hour before dawn. With blazing blade and searing soul, he'd meditated with spirit and sinew, communed with his deity in the song of fire and sword.

When the scaled creatures came through the shroud of shadows, Soren's gaze had narrowed though his stance never faltered. Slick with sweat and rainwater were his body, clothing, armour and weapon and yet the steel remained dry as ever, sheathed in a wreath of flickering flames.

His countenance grim yet devoid of fear,