"Hard to say but it would be a shame to break any helpful liquids.  On the other hand if there is no other way to get the chest open such things do us the same amount of good broken or loccked away." Sherborne holds his mace and looks at his hammer wondering if there is a way to break the check open without too much risk.

Silverglade urges nobody to hit the chest. "Let Vsaati try to pick the lock," he says.

Just before Vsaati steps forward to try her hand on the lock, Elder Voran hears, "Yes.  There is a potion vial inside."

20:16, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Vsaati, rolled 76 using 1d100.  Open Locks.

After several minutes of trying, Vsaati sighs and steps away, taking her tools with her.  "Sorry guys, I can't open it."

Voran sighs. "There is a glass vial inside. Either we have to find the key or we smash it open and risk breaking the vial. What do you all say?"

Albricht nudged Roak. "Ye've got small hands lad, why don't you give it a go?"

He got down with many a grunt and popping of aged joints to take a look at how he might go about simply dismantling the chest rather than crushing it open with his warhammer. From his pack he pulled out a hammer and an iron spike and made an attempt at shearing one of the hinges without causing too much disturbance to the valuables inside.

Roak rolls his eyes. "Everyone assumes all halflings are sneak thieves. I'm a warrior, thanks. The most I could do is pry bits of the thing apart, which I suppose we could try."

"Hrrrumph!" Which, as everyone who'd ever been around a dwarf would know, could be taken a number of ways. But in this case, with respect to Roak, it was a mixture of skepticism and appreciation of a decent jest.

"You are pretty sneaky and you do have little hands." He opted to just leave it at that.

Albricht figures that he can most likely shear the hinges and hasp, if given enough time, but a careful job of it might take a couple of hours.

Seeing what Albricht is doing, Vsaati pushes her way back up to the chest and gives it another go.

07:23, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Vsaati, rolled 28 using 1d100.  Open Locks.

After several minutes she steps back for a moment, swears mildly, and bends herself to the task again.

07:23, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Vsaati, rolled 82 using 1d100.  Open Locks.

A few minutes later, the lock opens with an audible click.  Vsaati seems quite satisfied and steps back with a flourish, gesturing to the now unlocked chest.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:26, Wed 05 July 2017.

"Or Vsaati could just try again," Voran says with a smirk. When Vsaati is done, he moves up to the chest to see what's inside.

"Aye lass, I knew you could do it all along... nothing like a bit of competition to bring out the best in us all. Hrrrumph."

"Now then, I've got something to bring up. I really don't like the idea of some critter that can look like something it's not, being left behind us. I've got a bad feeling that we'll end up getting bitten in the tail whiskers if we leave without poking some holes in it... Not sure how we'll go about it, but its better not not end up being sorry for something that we could have previously been safe with..."

That last saying didn't really translate well, or perhaps the sun-addled water-finder botched it on his own. He scratched absently at his "tail whiskers" hoping the rest of his party got the point.

<Does anyone care to open the chest?>

Silverglade opens the chest and investigates its contents.

Continuing his tangle of wheretofores, priorthens, and hithersoevers, Albricht did find himself eagerly peering over Silverglade's shoulder as the chest was opened.

"If we ever find the city those tall warrior-women said were down here somewhere, I imagine we'll have some buying power!"

Glancing awkwardly over at Voran, the dwarf asked, "Do you know anything about a city down hereabouts? Lost or otherwise?" Albricht was clearly uncomfortable talking to someone who was occupying someone else. It was just... unnatural.

"Are we just going to leave the tapestry unkilled?  That seems kind of sloppy."

Silverglade doesn't glance up from opening the chest. "Aren't tapestries flammable? A bit of oil and a flame should take care of it."

Voran shakes his head. "I don't think it's that easy. it's not really a tapestry. It's something that disguises itself to look like a tapestry. I don't see the need to trouble ourselves with killing it."

He then glances over to see what Silverglade finds in the trunk.

Silverglade searches through the chest and finds the previously noted potion vial, 3000 EP, 5000 GP, a suit of extremely well-made and rust free chainmial, and a finely-wrought dagger with a jeweled hilt in a jeweled sheath.

Elder Voran hears the internal voice advise him, "Both the armor and the dagger are enchanted, and the potion will cause the drinker to vanish from mortal sight for a time. I will have nor further need of them when my brother has been put to rest."

Elder nods to the chainmail. "Good news! This is magical, as is the dagger, and the potion grants the user invisibility. The money is ours to keep. Let's bag it and then get moving."

Albricht's eyes brightened considerably at the sight of the coins! He ran his hand over the chainmail and whistled lowly between the large gap in his front teeth.

"This is good work. Looks like it's been well cared for!"

As to the tapestry, the dwarf responded, "well, I don't like the idea of leaving something that can be anything behind us. If we don't kill it, then we'd better make sure to wedge that door shut so it can't get out!"

"The dagger should make a good weapon for one of us who doesn't have a magic weapon," points out Silverglade. He turns to Voran. "Does your friend know how good the mail is? Would it be worth giving up plate for?"

Voran strokes his chin. "Though it is magical, it would not offer the same protection as plate mail. We should perhaps take it with us and use it to trade with someone later."

Roak looks around the area and comes back to the others. "I think we should take a breather, fellows. I'll take first watch."

Silverglade agrees and settles down to sleep, keen to regain his spell.

"I shall take the last watch, and memorise my spell as everyone else rises. Normally I would prefer chainmail over plate, but for now I'll stick with my extra protection."

Lanliss immediately brings out his blanket and prepares to rest up.

"Hrrrumph!" Albricht voiced his disagreement to allowing the strange creature to continue living. "I'm riggin' the door. I don't want something breaking out of there to eat me in my sleep."

The dwarf rigged the door so that if it opened, noise would be made. As the others relaxed and mumbled at their spellbooks and prayer scrolls, the old water-finder prepared some magic of his own by propping up his weary head and resting his tired old body. A fight loomed with the brother of the odd ghost, or whatever had entered Voran. Albricht would dazzle when the time came.