Chapter 2A - A Jaunt Into The Country

[counterkid]

"Show us the way"

[Chris1234]

Isaril says he will be fine resting at the edge of the forest and that he will be more comfortable there. He will come if summoned.

Luka leads the way along a twisty passageway past several bloody and very dead rats the size of cats to where a large round rock fills a low, four foot diameter tunnel off to the west. The boulder will fit snugly in the tunnel effectively sealing off the cave beyond. It's difficult to move the boulder for lesser beings but Val finds it effortless. [Automatic for Val] Rolling the boulder does make considerable noise and would act act a crude warning of anyone approaching.

The cave beyond has an eight foot high ceiling and contains a grass pallet. Next to the goblinoid bed is a battered wooden chest. A rusty lock rests on the floor in friont of the chest.

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

Moves forward to the chest and opens the lid. Wondering why the lock is on the floor. Thinking to himself: Has someone been here?

[Chris1234]

There's a hole in the chest where a lock might fit.
Luka advances and reaches for the chest. The lid opens easily. A glance inside shows a thin layer of coins, some silver cylinders and something wrapped in soft leather.

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

Don't mind the rats. They just got in the way when I came in here. Let's see what we have in here.

Luka will pick up the leather wrapped soft leather mass and slowly open it up.

[Chris1234]

While bending over the chest Luka notices that the silver cylinders have some holes symmetrically arranged at their visible ends. The hole size and arrangement are different on the two cylinders.

Pulling out the leather bundle causes some of the coins to shift revelaing something oak-brown and something bone-white still nestling amongst the coins.

Opening up the leather wrap uncovers bloodstains and a number of sewn leather pockets containing a variety of small, well-made tools and cutters.*



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*Complete set of thieves' tools (worth 25 gp)

[Dargon Lonewolf]

He will fold it back up and set it aside.

Thieves tools. I will keep those and use them to disarm any traps we find. Someone else can come up here and dig through this too. We are all splitting it. Just because i found it and killed the rats doesnt mean i would keep it all.

Uncovering and pulling out the oak brown item and the bone white item. Making sure the coins fall in the chest.

[Chris1234]

The oak-brown item is an exquisitely carved oak leaf with a hole at the back suitable for threading. The bone-white item is an unadorned cylinder that has a join at one end (consistent with a threaded cap).

[Dargon Lonewolf]

He will pull them out and stand them next to the chest. Moving the coins around to see what is left at the bottom.

[counterkid]

"Luka, how many coins did you count? Let's split the share evenly between us. We should ask Isaril if he wants any of this loot."

[Nocturno]

Vic ignores the coins picks up the items.
Trying to see if they fit together. He won't put them together though. He will examine the openings.

[Chris1234]

Jim counts the coins which are generally of fairly recent Waterdavian mint. The occasional foreign coins are all spendable. They total twelve dragons, fifty five shards and eighty sevem nebs.

Vic looks at the holes and then takes the pair of silver cylinders to examine them further. He recognises them for what they are: salt and pepper shakers*.

Apart from a squashed beetle there's nothing else in the battered chest.

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For ease of housekeeping the matched salt and pepper pots are worth ten dragons each or twenty five dragons as a set.

[Dargon Lonewolf]

Luka

I will take the thieves tool set, it makes sense. It will help us later. Split up the rest however you see fit. I am going to look around a bit more in here and make sure we don't have any company hiding anywhere.

Luka will walk around look in all the nooks and side passages in this room to make sure there are no hiding places for more rats.

[Nocturno]

So the leaf thing is part of the set?

[Chris1234]

Apparently not.

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Religion skill check, please.