Speaking the magic phrase that opens the portal in the monastery, the long-but-not-so-long tunnel forms in the wall.

Ozrus leads the way, stepping into it first, followed by Hsang and Bash.

As near as Ozrus can tell, the tunnel is the same length as all the others, which seems a bit odd considering that the other places were probably different distances away.

At the other end, he's not surprised to see a mine entrance about 30 feet in front of him. Whether it was a natural cave that's been turned into a mine isn't quite clear, but the sturdy timbers have been used to frame the opening in a more regular fashion as if it was a doorway without a door.

Looking up, he sees that the mine entrance is at the base of a mountain, though he's uncertain just how big the mountain is. A sheer rock face represents the part that he can see; it looks to be about 200 feet high, probably ends at a ledge because he can vaguely see that more mountain soars upward beyond it.

A number of rocks scattered around the area show evidence of dangerous rock slides in the past.

Years of weathering and dirt have almost obscured the carving in the cross timber. He can just barely make out the name: REMSON.

Ozrus pointed out all of the observations he had made to both Hsang and Bash, then stepped forward. He was still in the form of an earth elemental, so he began slipping into the ground as he moved forward, earth gliding. "I'm going to scout ahead a bit. Peek out through the walls, get a sense of just how porous this mountain is, and maybe even see if I can find any local bats to chat with. If there is a guardian here like at all of the other locations, there is a good chance they would know where to find it." Of course he might run into the guardian long before he met any bats. He cast some cantrips upon himself as he moved forward. "I'll be right back"

---

I am earth gliding around the immediate vicinity, seeing what is here. I also have darkvision, spider climb, life bubble, detect magic, and am still carrying my Traveler's Any-tool if those are relevant. I will use Guidance for my rolls. If there are any bats to talk to I will cast Speak with Animals upon myself and ask them about local threats, guardians, and the wonder.

21:57, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 33 using 1d20+22.  Perception, with Guidance. Watching for threats/points of interest.
21:58, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 24 using 1d20+22.  Survival, with Guidance. Natural hazards.
21:59, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 38 using 1d20+21.  Knowledge: Nature, with Guidance. Local wildlife.
21:59, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 23 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge: Engineering, with Guidance. Structural integrity.
22:01, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 34 using 1d20+19.  Knowledge: Dungeoneering, with Guidance. Hazards/critters.

Feel free to make additional rolls on my behalf (with Guidance) if required.

"Not that I don't appreciate his strange ability," Hsang tells Bash, "but if he's going off by himself, why'd we both coming along?"

With that, he steps out of the tunnel and walks over to the mine entrance. Just to be on the safe side, he raps on the timbers with the hilt of his sword.

If it doesn't collapse, he starts to walk in.

Fumbled my brain trying to figure out what Ozrus could learn...


Ozrus has no problem moving through the stone of the mountain and getting a general sense of the layout, which is rather extensive. At a rough estimate, there is maybe 7-8 miles of tunnels. There is clearly a main tunnel and then there are nine separate side tunnels that branch off of that. He has some trouble passing through certain areas, which he realizes are untapped veins of ore.

He doesn't find any bats but he soon realizes that it's because of some sort of general malaise infecting the mine. He only picks it up as a residual trace of magic, which could mean that it's a very old curse that hasn't quite worn off yet. Animals, of course, would be more sensitive to that sort of thing than people.

A couple of the tunnels have collapsed areas in them, which he sees are probably because there weren't any timbers used in them to shore up the ceiling.

It's about the time that he reaches the end of the main tunnel that he finds an iron vault down the last side tunnel. He also encounters the large Earth Elemental.

He can't say for sure that it's guarding the vault, but it is in proximity to it.


Hsang and Bash exit the tunnel and step into the mine. Both instantly feel a touch of queasiness as they step through the opening, but it quickly passes. You both recognize it as some sort of warding, probably very old and nearly worn out.

You can see a mine cart about 10 feet in that still has a pickaxe and a shovel in it, though it is empty of ore. The tunnel ahead of you starts to slant to the left just beyond the cart. It's only 10 meet wide and maybe only 8 feet high, shored up with timbers about every 10 feet or so.

Ozrus backed away slowly and returned to Hsang and Bash after finding the earth elemental. He had a hunch he could talk his way past it, but would really rather not try to do so alone. When he found his friends, he relayed all that he had uncovered, then said, "My guess is that what we seek is in the vault. Or nearby. And that earth elemental is this wonder's guardian. I wonder if we can convince it to come back with us like I did that naga, Sh'kira, in the Field of Dreams. Anyway, follow me and I will show you the way." Ozrus, still in his earth elemental wild shape, did his best to lead Hsang and Bash toward the true earth elemental. "Either of you two know how to speak Terran?" he asked conversationally as they all progressed into the mine. "If not, I could try teaching you a few words as we walk." The phrases "green star," "friend," "chosen ones," and "prophecy" seemed like a good place to start, along with any words requested by Hsang and Bash.

"Not I!" Hsang replies with a bit of emphasis. "Never really thought I'd travel so far from home that I'd need to talk to people that spoke another language. There were always scholars and teachers and elders and interpreters that did all the talking to strangers that came to town... if they spoke some other language. As travelers, most of them spoke more than one language anyway."

"My enemies all spoke the same language, so there was no need for me to learn one."

"Not until this damned green star drew me here."

He listened to Ozrus's attempt to teach him a few words of Terran... with dismal results.

"It sounds like two stones rubbing together!" he protested as he tried to 'pronounce' those words.

"Nope. Ain't gonna work with me."

"I let my guns do my talking for me," Bash replies to Ozrus. "Most folks get my point."

"Creatures and monsters and stuff, well, if one shot don't scare them off, then I just shoot them!"

"Never tried shooting an earth elemental before, though. Any idea how that'll work?"

Ozrus held out one of his stony arms so that Bash could feel what an earth elemental's flesh felt like. More or less. Obviously he wasn't a true elemental, but merely in the shape of one. Still, it would give her an idea of how her weapon might affect an earth elemental. "I guess I will be doing the talking then," Ozrus said, mildly worried. He was a decent casual conversationalist, but had no formal training or special skills when it came to smooth talking people. Hopefully the inevitable conversation to come would not require a lot of nuance. "Just... please refrain from shooting until it becomes necessary. I would rather make a friend than an enemy if it can be helped."

When the three of them got close enough, Ozrus called out to the earth elemental. "Greetings. You look like quite the avalanche today." He had heard that was a compliment for earth elementals, and hoped what he had heard was true. "We are members of the green stars, and have come to look in that vault. Please let us pass peacefully. If you have been tied to this location to be its guard, your obligations have now expired."

"Aw, shucks, Ozzie!" Bash says. "I was just joshin'. I don't shoot anyone unless they deserve it... or shoot first. That's my one flaw, as it means I'm likely to get shot before I can eliminate the threat."

"We can always feed you ideas and you just translate them into earth elementalish... or whatever it's called. Would that help?"

Ozrus nodded to Bash's idea and did his best to translate whatever the elemental said, and whatever his friends might want to say to the elemental.

"I... not... guard... mine. I... live... here. I... go... as... I... wish... where... I... wish. In...tru...ders... not... wel...come. Green... stars... friends. You... may... pass... with...out... hin...drance. I... am... Gar...ag...grum...ble. You... friend." the Earth elemental rumbles in reply to Ozrus in its slow rumbling speech.

Ozrus replied to the elemental in the Terran language. "Thank you Garaggrumble. I will do my best to ensure we do not betray your hospitality."

After translating what had been said to his friends, Ozrus then began leading them toward where he had seen the vault. "Are either of you two good with locks? Assuming it is a normal vault, of course." When they reached the vault, Ozrus examined it thoroughly for anything noteworthy, be it mundane or magical. He cast some Guidance upon himself as he did so, and bestowed the same Guidance upon his allies if they so wished.

---

Perception, with Guidance and Detect Magic.
18:57, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 36 using 1d20+22.  Perception, with Guidance and Detect Magic.
I rolled 36, but if I can take 20, it would be 42.

Ozrus leads Bash and Hsang down the main tunnel. It's mostly obvious that this was a natural tunnel at some point that's been further excavated and shored up with timbers. The numerous side tunnels seem to be mining efforts, probably to follow a vein of ore.

Just before reaching the end of the main tunnel, Ozrus leads them down a side tunnel. It's just about 100 feet long and ends in an iron vault that stands just under 10 feet high and seems to have been wedged in there somehow. In fact, you can't help wonder how it even got in here, though it's possible it was built in place.

That seems the logical deduction to Ozrus as he had perceived several 2-foot diameter rods projecting from all 5 embedded sides of the vault, indicating that it couldn't be pulled out without removing the bars.

The front, of course, is a 6-foot high iron door only 2 feet wide. It's got a steel wheel mounted in the middle and three large inset locks on the left side. There's also an arcane symbol of warding melted into the door.

Ozrus doesn't recognize the symbol specifically, only that it's a ward of some kind. However, it seems to be dormant.

"Hsang, I believe you showed some experience with traps and locks and such during our last excursion together. Would you mind trying to see if you can break into this vault?" Ozrus may have been able to come up with some kind of magical solution to get into the vault, but none that he could think of at the moment. Especially not with the spells he currently had prepared.

Ozrus kept an eye on the ward as well, using his Detect Magic. He would want to know if it ever stopped being dormant.

Harrumph," Hsang grunts at the request. "I have a slight familiarity with such things, but I usually let my swords do the work. As good as they are, though, they'll not cut their way through this iron."

He proceeds to examine the vault, first looking for any traps and then trying to disable the locks.

11:50, Today: Hsang Li Tsung rolled 23,20 using 1d20+13,1d20+15 ((10,5)).

He probably found any traps if there are any, but getting past those locks is beyond him.

OOC: Do the locks look like they need keys? Or are they combination locks?

They look like they require keys.

"I could always try to shoot out the locks," Bash suggests. "Might require a few shots each, and it might not work anyway, but it's an idea."

"Are we in any hurry?"

"Hsang, perhaps if you try again but take your time a bit more. It's not like there are any traps, right? Not even magical ones?"

"Shouldn't there be? Are you detecting any magic from inside the vault, Ozrus? Not that it would mean the bracers are there, since all the others were shield by lead. I'm just wondering if it's worth our time and effort and resources to bust open this vault only to find that the bracers aren't even there."

"Could they be hidden somewhere else in the mine?"

"I could always try to intimidate the locks into opening," Hsang responds. "I'm really good at that."

"But, yes, if I spent a half hour or so on each lock, I might be able to coax it open... if intimidation doesn't work."

"It is definitely possible the bracers aren't inside, but this vault seems like the most obvious spot they would be stored considering how the other wonders were that I helped locate." He shrugged. "I suggest Bash and I look for the missing keys while Hsang does his best to get the lock open the hard way. If we all fail, then we try breaking the locks open. We can look for the bracers elsewhere while also looking for the keys."

It seemed a thought suddenly occurred to Ozrus. "You know what? I will start by asking Garaggrumble if he knows any useful information. He has lived here a long time, so there is a chance he may have come across three keys. Or the bracers, if they aren't in the vault."

Ozrus went to do exactly that. Once he located Garaggrumble again, he asked the elemental if he knew the location of the keys or bracers (describing the objects in terms an elemental would understand).

Ozrus locates Garaggrumble again, and makes his inquiries.

"Key... in... cave... on... bones. Three... key... three... bones."

"Bray... sirs... no... see. Lump... not... see. Plum... bum."

"That is incredibly helpful," replied Ozrus to Garaggrumble. "Would you be willing to show me where those bones are?" He was unsure what the last two things meant that Garaggrumble had said, but didn't feel like it was anything worth inquiring further about.

If the elemental was willing to show Ozrus around, he would keep his eyes peeled as they approached their destination with both Detect Magic and Guidance active. He did not expect any traps, but they were certainly a possibility. And if Garaggrumble did not want to assist further, Ozrus would do the same, but search on his own after notifying his friends.

The earth elemental shows Ozrus where the cave is that has the bones.

There are three skeletons there, and there is key on each body.

Ozrus isn't quite sure what killed the three bodies, but there doesn't appear to be any signs of violence.

Having been shown the route to the side tunnel, Ozrus easily makes his way back to the vault. The three keys appear to match the locks, and fitting them in to the correct lock is reasonably easy as well. They don't seem to have to be turned simultaneously or in any particular sequence, so the vault gets unlocked. Swinging the door open reveals two shelves and several ingots on the shelves. There's no sign of any bracers.

The top shelf holds 3 bars of gold.

The middle shelf holds 2 bars of silver.

The bottom holds 4 bars of lead.

When they opened the safe and no bracers were inside, Ozrus's heart sank. Glumly, he said, "Well, at least we can get paid for our troubles..." He was about to turn his attention elsewhere when a possibility suddenly occurred to him. He eyed the lead bars suspiciously.

"With the other wonders, Esmeralda used lead to mask magical auras. I would not be surprised if something similar was done here." The druid leaned down to collect the lead bars and test their weights. If one or two were noticably lighter than the others, he suspected they would find the bracers inside the soft metal bars.

"Good thinking, Ozrus," Bash said, "but if there's lead in this mine, the bracers could be hidden anywhere. Although... I don't know anything about mining and stuff, but would raw lead ore be sufficient to mask the magic? I'd think it'd have to be formed into some kind of lump like these lead bars. Or pounded out into sheets that could be wrapped around the bracers."

"These lead bars seem too obvious."

One by one Ozrus picked up each of the lead bars and ascertained the weight of each... relative to the others, of course. All four bars are heavy, and seem to weigh the same... about what he thinks a lead bar should weigh.

They also seem to weigh about as much as the gold bars.

Ozrus doesn't know of any way to fake a lead bar, though a gold-covered lead bar could be used to fake a gold bar.

Even after examining them, he doesn't find any secret compartments in any of them, though that doesn't preclude a coating of lead being melted over top of them afterward.

Although he doesn't know Dwarvish, his knowledge of nature finally made a connection with something the earth elemental had said... 'plum bum'. That's the Dwarven name for lead.

After examining the bars, Ozrus shared his insights. "Hmm. Yeah, I don't think the bracers are hidden in these. Maybe some lead hidden inside the gold bars, but no magic items as far as I can tell. I am going to ask Garaggrumble if they know where any big concentrations of lead are." He tucked away the metal bars, then went to ask his question.

He returned to the elemental, still in his own elemental wild shape form, and said in Terran, "Excuse me, Garaggrumble? Sorry to bother you yet again, but we still have not found what we were hoping to locate. Do you know where any high concentrations of 'plum bum' are? We think the magic items we are seeking may be masked by plum bum." Of course the actual words he used were not quite so... precise. He adjusted his manner of speaking to more closely match Garaggrumble's specific dialect and complexity as much as possible.

Since the earth elemental seems to live here, Ozrus had no trouble finding Garaggrumble again.

It repeats what it said earlier.

"Bray... sirs... no... see. Lump... not... see. Plum... bum."

"In... hole... over... gap."

Ozrus realizes that it's referring to some sort of space in the rock, and that the 'gap' is the entrance to this vault chamber.

"You have truly been a tremendous help, Garaggrumble," replied Ozrus in Terran. Before excusing himself again, he added an elemental blessing he had learned long ago. "May your pebbles become boulders." Hopefully the saying wasn't too outdated.

Ozrus then returned to Bash and Hang to share what he had learned. After explaining the basics, he added, "So you see, we just need to find this gap that Garaggrumble mentioned. Let's go search." Using the information the elemental had provided, Ozrus began searching for the correct location.

"What did he mean by a gap?" Bash answers. "If he can move through stone at will, wouldn't any gap be like a tunnel or... did he just mean like a doorway?"

"We just came through the opening to this room. Wouldn't that be a gap? At the very least, we should start here and work our way back if we don't find anything somewhere else."

"Sound reasonable to you, Hsang, or can you think of some other meaning?"

"I can think of several other meanings, but that was sounds the most reasonable," Hsang answered.

"While there might be several ways to place the bracers into a void in the stone, it seems like Esmeralda would have used the simplest way possible, although I note that that's not necessarily true for some of the other Wonders."

"If there's a gap above the door, it'd be easy for her to put the bracers in it, hard to find, but then easier for us to get them out."

"It's certainly the best place to look at first. If there's nothing there, then we consider other possibilities."

Ozrus nodded in agreement, but also added, "When I earthglide through the ground in this mine, the ore veins are more difficult to pass through. If there is a high enough concentration of ore, it could conceivably be considered an impassible gap to those who otherwise glide through stone. A vein of lead, or plumbum, could be impassible and shield magical auras. A great place to hide the bracers we seek."

With that in mind, he helped Hsang and Bash search the likeliest areas of the mine for their hidden treasure.

With a better idea of where and how to look, it doesn't take the three of you long to find the hole above the entrance where something has been concealed. Although wedged in there pretty tightly, it can be finagled out without too much effort.

It's clearly a bundle about the size that could hold a pair of bracers. It's completely wrapped in a sheet of lead. Prying the lead off reveals an oil cloth wrapped around the bracers.

"I think we have found what we are looking for," said Ozrus. His voice held a tone of accomplishment that you get from a task completed satisfactorily. Still, he scanned the bracers with his Detect Magic spell just to be absolutely sure these weren't a clever decoy. You could never be too sure with Esmerelda, it seemed.

Assuming his scan didn't reveal anything fishy, Ozrus would then lead the way back to the magical passageway to their base of operations. "We should probably see if the others need more help with the last few treasures," he commented as he headed back.