"Okay, the silver is the carrot, and the room itself is the box.  So, who comes along to eat the rabbit?  And are they equipped if the rabbit turns out to have fangs and claws?

"And if we're in the role of the rabbit, what can we do to make sure the box doesn't drop?  Or should we just abandon the carrot and go look for something else?"

Mario frowns and returns to the watertight door, checking for any sort of mechanism that could force it shut (trick hinges, sliding levers, etc.).

In reply to Mario Crowfoot (msg # 11):

the door doesn't have any unusual features beyond the wheel locking mechanism- no springs or wires.

"Hmmm.  Jocelyn, you seem to have fire magic.  Can you make arrows into flaming arrows that Mel and I could use to light those braziers from outside the door?

"If not, it's the old rag and lamp oil, but I'd need to use one of my silvered arrows because I don't think we could set up one from my magic quiver fast enough -- if we can do it at all."

In reply to Mario Crowfoot (msg # 13):

he doesn't have the spell but he can create fire or ignite it.

the top of the obelisks could be reached by someone with a torch in outstretched hand.

OOC: Sure, that's the easy way -- but it puts the rabbit firmly inside the box.

I was thinking it might be safer to light the braziers from outside the room, and an arrow is a lot more accurate than throwing a torch.

In reply to Mario Crowfoot (msg # 13):

Yes, of course.

In reply to Jocelyn Lemru (msg # 16):

"Happy to try, but if it does slam shut, how can we get the silver?"

"I know how to get here now.  If the door slams shut or if we can't reopen it right after the flow drops off, we'll go visit Dockside and come back with a clam rake, or buy a cooking sieve in Little Sahud.  We can use that to drag coins out of the pool.

"So, Jocelyn, you cast your spell twice for Mel and me while we aim, then we'll shoot the arrows into the braziers, while Clarence stands ready to slam the door and turn the wheel before it starts to build up any depth.  I don't think it's a great idea to be wading in that stuff, we'd probably all need new boots and hose.

"And of course that's all assuming this works.  We can't be sure it will.  While it surely looks like someone set this up as bait, we can't make out the full inscription.  It might say something like 'don't set a fire in this room if you value your life.'"

OK, hold them up ready to shoot.

In reply to Jocelyn Lemru (msg # 19):

since this isn't flaming missiles, this is an extra -2 added to a -3 for target size

total of -5 to hit

"Give us a couple heartbeats to aim."  Mario readies the arrow from his never-empty quiver and waits to synchronize with Mellarill, then nocks, draws, and begins to aim.  After three turns of aiming, he mumbles "Go!" past the shaft against his cheek and holds aim for Jocelyn to cast.

As soon as the fire blossoms on the arrow, he releases.  The arrow flies true.

She aims with mario and releases a second after he does.

In reply to Mellarill (msg # 22):

Clarence does as directed...

In reply to Clarence Montague (msg # 23):
several things happen at once:

fire blossoms in first one basket followed by the other a moment later.
there is a great rumbling sound, and the water of the pool roils

then the lion vomits a stream of silver coins into the violently bubbling waters!

Jocelyn grabs the nearest shield and apports it into the stream where she attempts to deflect the coins onto the floor.  She moves back into the room and uses her strength to hold the shield until she has to release it due to fatigue approaching, then gathers the coins while watching the roiling waters.

In reply to Jocelyn Lemru (msg # 25):

Clarence will assist her in trying to deflect the coins out of the water.

In reply to Clarence Montague (msg # 26):

a fair number of coins hit the floor instead of the pool, but the majority went into the water.

how close is Clarence to the pool?

In reply to Narrator (msg # 27):

Hard to say. He does not have an exaggerated sense of self preservation when finances are at risk...how close should he be to get most of the silver?

"Jocelyn, do you have magic to dry up this, um, water?"

No, nothing like that. We should look around for a rake or shovel

Are coins still pouring out?

In reply to Jocelyn Lemru (msg # 30):

the coins poured out for two seconds...

as Clarence is grabbing coins, a number of tentacles lash out of the water!

dodge or be hit!

everyone else make a fright check
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Thu 03 Aug 2023.

Jocelyn doesn't manage to doge given her concentration on the coins, but reacts quickly and cuts/burns the tenticle with her Flame Jet.

Mario drops to a knee, left hand on the floor, and begins to vomit.

In reply to Jocelyn Lemru (msg # 32):

Clarence also fails his dodge...his shield is too small!

In reply to Clarence Montague (msg # 34):

a charred tentacle recoils from Jocelyn, two others wrap around Clarence's arm and leg!