Ian knocks against the door with his fist, hoping to alert those inside.
Thump Thump Thump. A pause. Thump.
Ian knocks against the door with his fist, hoping to alert those inside.
Thump Thump Thump. A pause. Thump.
[OOC: Listen check against DC 17 for everyone in the room to notice a slight knocking sound on the door...]
OOC: d20+7=12 Saath's not hearing it.
"Hey, 'Thornes, what'cha got there?" Saath asks and walks over to him.
Listen: roll: 13 + 15 = 28
The Masked Gnoll walks up to Blackthornes. "Hey, watcha got there?"
He pauses. "Hey... you guys hear that?"
*Blackthornes breathes in relief, then, goes to pick the lock on the chest*
OOC: Um, I don't think you guys know about the chest, I mean, I didn't tell you, and, I think it is kind of hidden.
OOC: Listen Check as well, though, I have a plus 17, so, I think I am going to succeed, and, will post accordingly.
*Blackthornes hears the knock, and speaks over his shoulder to someone in the group*
"Hey, can one of you guys see what that was? It might be Shadowknife."
Azure sets himself up in line with the door being knocked on. He draws out his bow a kniels, setting his quiver upright next to him. "Someone want to get that?"
Azure is betting that he can go around the "No Violence" rule by shooting through the open doorway, if need be. Just in case a state of mind might be construed as violence, he will "shoot to wound" at any weapons.
[/][OOC: @Blackthornes / dread pirate swan: It's not obvious WHAT Blackthornes found, but he stopped exploring the room and obviously focusses on something. So, dread pirate swan, please edit your character's question accordingly - MG can ask something general, but he doesn't know that Blackthornes got a box - unless he goes looking.
@Blackthornes: The lightning bolt symbol is not a hole in the door, nor is it transparent. It's impossible to look through it without magical help - just like the rest of the door.]
Blackthornes easily opens the chest's lock, and the chest springs open.
Inside, Blackthornes finds a ring and a black wooden tube. The tube has another lock. The ring is made from a beautiful, smooth green stone. It reflects the light in a wonderful play of shimmering nuances. The ring has no gemstone or symbol of any kind, it is just plain green - and too large for a human finger.
*Blackthornes pockets the green ring, and picks up the tube. He turns around and say*
"well, I found this in a chest over here, wonder what's in it?"
*Blackthornes will search the tube to see if there are any traps on the lock.*
Blackthornes finds a nasty trap well-hidden in the lock. If the lock is opened the wrong way, the trap not only sprays some kind of fluid out of the lock, but also sprays that same fluid into the tube itself - most probably, to destroy what's inside.
Naruk ponders for a moment, then walks over to the door and repeats exactly the knocking that came from the door.
"Let's just hope it IS Ian," he says.
[OOC: Listen check against DC 14 for Ian to hear Naruk's knocking. It is lower than the DC for the group because Ian should be waiting for any kind of reply to his sign.]
OOC: Listen roll = 8 + 11 = 19 (Success!)
Good. In which case...
Ian pulls out his pipes of sounding, and uses them to mimic his voice, but a few feet in front of him so it's on the other side of the door.
"This is Ian. I need to confirm that you are who I think you are. I won't be able to here you talk, so this is how it will work. Hit the door a number of times equal to the number of creatures a certain squid summoned in a certain shop in Sigil earlier today."
Instead of Ian's voice, Faathi speaks to the group. "Someone at the other side of the door tries to cast a spell in here - some very primitive kind of magic. I can't see anything harmful, but for now, I blocked the spell entering the room. I think the spell does nothing but create a few sounds, possibly someone speaking. Do you want me to allow the spell to work?"
*Blackthornes, while concentrating on the scroll case, looks up from his work to answer faathi*
"Yes, please, let the spell in. I sure hope it's Ian..."
*Blackthornes will then work to disarm the trap in the tube.*
Blackthornes fails as he tries to disable the trap. Fortunately, it is not yet activated.
Meanwhile, Ian's voice appears in the room:
"This is Ian. I need to confirm that you are who I think you are. I won't be able to here you talk, so this is how it will work. Hit the door a number of times equal to the number of creatures a certain squid summoned in a certain shop in Sigil earlier today."
*Blackthornes thinks hard, but, can't remember how many were at Akin's.*
"Ummmm....I don't remember, do you guys?"
*Blackthornes will just try to open the lock*
" I need more practice disabling traps I guess."
OOC: I hate the dice roller.....
Blackthornes tries again to open the lock, but suddenly, the container of the fluid breaks and spills into the tube - and sprays out of the lock!
[OOC: Acid damage see die roller, make a Reflex save against DC 20 for half damage. You really got bad luck there...]
OOC: *Bump*
OOC: im only taking half damage. If I make it, i'll take no damage, I've got Imporved evasion.
*Blackthornes moves to aviod the acid*
"My luck has gone to the hells as of late, I hope this is just an streak, not permanent."
OOC: It's actually a 21, I forgot to add my uncanny dodge bonus.
*After avoiding the acid, Blackthornes drops the tube to the floor.*
"well, at least I can still move like a thief."
Faathi sighs, then says, "Too bad you destroyed the tube. It seems it was one of the Faeraan king's personal tubes, where he kept important items. I would have loved to know what's inside."
Naruk looks at Blackthornes, and adds, "Let's just hope that wasn't the one thing that could get us out of here... anyway, my memory's a bit shook up, too. Anyone remembers what Ian asked?"
The Masked Gnoll raises his hand and waves it in the air excitadly. "I Know!" I Know!"
"He wants someone to punch the door. I'm the best puncher, so I'll do it."
The Masked Gnoll walks over to the door, and punches it three times.
[OOC: Another listen check, this time against DC 12, for Ian to hear MG's punching...]
Ian waits for a reply. What is taking so long...
OOC: 6 + 11 = 17
There we go. Three knocks.
Ian uses the pipes again...
"Open the door. I have vital information which I would prefer to tell you in person, but you should know that time is of the essence. So we need to hurry. As in, every second we waste seriously decreases our chances of living to see tomarrow sort of hurry."
Faathi allows Ian's voice to appear in the room...
*Blackthornes says to himself*
"Just when we were getting along so nicely without him."
*Then he speaks to faathi*
"can we open the door from inside, or, does he have to open it. hmm. Im not sure on that one."
OOC: I'd just like to clear something up for Ian, the uncanny dodge text says "+1 to saving throws against traps" so, that would apply toreflex as well, if it's not illaborated in the fuller text that this is not so. I donot have a hard copy of blackthornes anymore, only the copy on the character section on planewalker, and I do not have my books on hand. So, l my use of the other point was an honest mistake, if it is a mistake.
"As I said before," Faathi replies to Blackthornes' question, "only someone of Faeraan heritage can open the door - no matter from which side. Is one of your group a Faeraan?"
Meanwhile, a loud, bumping sound appears from the other door. Faathi lets out a child-like chuckle. "The demons on the other side attempt to break open the door. They do not understand it is impossible for them to destroy the seals."
Naruk observes the situation and his eyes open wider and wider. Then, he first turns to the Masked Gnoll. "Well done, MG. You're the best puncher, indeed."
He then turns to the other door. "Let's just hope Faathi is right and these 'liths don't have any cheating punching tricks."
"Hold on... if the Tan'ari can open that door, than maybe they can open the other door so we can get to Ian!"
The Masked Gnoll smiles beneath his mask.
I am SO brilliant!
*Blackthornes speaks to faathi, dripping with sarcasm when refering to Ian as a dear friend.*
"Faathi, can you open this lightining bolt symboled door for us please? It maybe a dear friend of ours. He is not violent nor the son of fiends."
*Turning to MG*
"Ummmm, I don't think they can get in friend, wereas, Ian should be able to, unless he serves to fiends unknown to us."
[OOC: @Blackthornes: What do you refer to with the "dear friend" thing? I don't get it..? Faathi hasn't said anything about Ian being a dear friend..]
Naruk turns to MG. "Even IF they could in, I'm afraid they'd first try to slay all of us before they try to open the other door... so let's hope they CAN'T get in."
Replying to Blackthornes, Faathi says, "I cannot open the door. Of course, I have been created by someone of Faeraan heritage, but spell personalities aren't capable to open the door - it has to be a real, mortal person. The only thing I can offer is talking to your friend on the other side for you."
The Masked Gnoll looks straight up at the ceiling. "Roomlady, what is a Faeraan anyway? Do they look like beefy Gnolls?"
OOC: oops, edit!
*Blackthornes seemes puzzled*
"Why is it then that I could open the door?"
Faathi replies first to Blackthornes.
"You could open the door from the tower, but the door you want to open now leads to the palace. That one is to open only for mortal souls that carry Faeraan essence within them."
Then, to the Masked Gnoll: "Roomlady? Now that is a nice title. Thank you, my friend. What a Faeraan is? Any mortal soul that was born on the world of Faeraan, or a descendant of such a mortal. I know a bit about that concept of races, but Faeraans do not have that. Every Faeraan is different, and he can be... whatever he is."
FFFWOMP!
The sound that comes from the tower door fills the entire room for a moment, and the ground and walls seem to shake for a split second. Then, the door that keeps the mariliths outside turns into a gleaming red, like metal short before melting.
"This bodes not well. Neither door is behaving to my liking. We cannot get our allies in, and may not be able to keep our enemies out. Are there any other doors? On the roof perhaps? The point of having a tower is to look out from a high vantage. Is there no other way to let our friend in?"
Azure, meanwhile will go over to some of the plants, setting himself up have a clear shot at the glowing door but also to have something to duck behind quickly.
*blackthornes will hide in the room, nearer to the door then azure, but, far enough from it to have a good few of it.*
"Roomlady, you said you could tell Ian something? Can you tell him why we can't open the door? He's been waiting, is all."
As The door glows red and the other party members react, the Masked Gnoll giggles. "Why you hiding, Blackthornes? Even if they get in, they're not allowed to attack us. It's against the rules!"
*Blackthornes half chuckles at the gnoll's remarks, and just states, matter-of-factly*
"Well, from my experience, most fiends dont play by the rules."
Faathi, obviously not the least bit concerned, replies to Azure. "No, there is no other entrance or exit except of the two doors you know. Entering the room by use of magic or other mind-powers is not allowed, either. I'm afraid you have to leave through the door where the mariliths wait for you, or a Faeraan has to open the door where your ally waits."
Commenting Blackthornes' statement, Faathi adds, "There is no reason to be afraid. The demons at the tower door cannot get in. The door seals simply won't let them."
Meanwhile, Ian hears Faathi's voice coming from the door. "Hello, ally of the group inside the room. I was asked to tell you that your friends haven't opened the door yet because they believe they cannot open it. And if none of them is a Faeraan, they are correct."
As Faathi speaks, Ian leaps back from the door in suprise. "By the nine..."
He listens to the message and thinks for a moment, then approaches the door. "Now lets see..."
OOC: Since Ian is not threatened, and has the time to devote to the task, he will take 20 on a use magic device check. This will result in a 28 Use magic device. The DC to emulate a race is 25. The door should be convinced that Ian is a Faeraan.
[OOC: How exactly is Ian trying to do that? You need to give me a bit more information about how Ian tries to convince a door that he is "a Faeraan", without even knowing what that is...]
OOC: I... I don't know.
All I know is that Use Magic Device has a use that allows you to convince a magic item that normally only works for, or works better in some way for, a certain race that you are a member of said race. I'll be damned if I know the process. For all I know it involves rubbing my feet on the carpet and touching the item while wearing a very convincing mask. But the skill description doesn't say anything about needing a detailed description of the race, so I figured...
I guess it would look like Ian is touching the door and in deep concentration.
[OOC: Okay... that'd work for a normal magical item. But this one's quite special, and isn't solved with a simple die roll.
So, good idea, good try, but nothing happens.]
"Heh, so the seals won't let them in, eh? In my experience, magic works just fine until stronger magic comes along. So forgive me if I lack confidence in the glamor-voice's claims."
"You know, I've never heard of 'Faeraan' before, but something just occured to me. For all we know 'Faeraan' could be an alternate name for a more familiar place. Why don't we all try to open the door. At worst we simply fail, right?"
Azure will approach the door Ian is outside of, keeping a wary eye on the one keeping the demons out. He will touch the door, willing it to open.
Naruk nods. "From all I heard I'd say Faeraan is some Prime world lost to tanar'ri, but... yes, why not give it a try?"
The needle moves forward, but just as it touches Blackthornes' finger, he deactivates the mechanism. He barely avoided the poison, and the magical trap didn't activate.