60 feet east and 50 feet north takes the guests 110 feet away from the wax mausoleum and to a door that opens to a large vaulted room with arches rising from the corners. The floor is partially covered by rice-straw mats while the rest of the area is hard stone. In the center of the room, on the ceiling, is a small chest, resting upside down. On the far wall is a door with a large keyhole in it. Starting on the ceiling, over both doors, are a series of rungs, spaced at 2 foot intervals. These rungs stop short of the chest by 5 feet.

The room is unscented (for now).

Seeing the far door with the large keyhole Hieroman wonders aloud.  "Did anyone search any of the bugbears?  I wonder if one of them might have held the key for that door, or if it needs a key.  It might be in that chest of course, which is why they've gone no further," she finishes looking up to consider the roof chest.

Since Brant is dealing with the prone bugbears (including the helmetless one) while Bart and Bercy killed the last standing one, Ornwin follows Hieroman out of the stinking room into the next one. He eyes the door and the chest and says, "I'm a bit short for reaching that chest by those rungs, but I could just try hacking through this door with my axe if you don't want to wait to look for the key up there."

"As long as it isn't made out of hardwood that'll damage your blade, that's an option." Hieroman agrees.  "Let's wait until we're all ready to move on, as saner heads might see another way through, and I'm more than curious about that chest." she says point up at the chest.

Archonia applauded the finale, then, with the bugbears dead, went back to the boats, to set up camp, since something very important had been left there.

In reply to Hieroman (msg # 190):

Ornwin replies, "Well, if one of the others is able get up here and look for a key, I don't mind waiting to risk my axe blade. It is good dwarven steel, but there is no point in taking chances with blunting its edge."

Hieroman (and I assume Ornwin though I'm not speaking for him) will return to the others when they are taking longer than expected and see the decision is to make camp back by the water edge before proceeding.  She is down a couple of useful spells, and would welcome the chance to rest and relearn.  If Ornwin hadn't joined her, she would go back to him to let him know the plan to rest before proceeding.  During their discussion she would tell them of the room, the chest and the door needing a key.

Bart and Bercy stare into the room, then up at the ceiling, and finally at one another. The two knights had played a few games of chess in the past, but this puzzle was beyond their comprehension, so they both shrug and follow Hieroman as she heads back down the corridor in the direction from whence they had come.

Brant gives the chest a forlorn look then follows the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Tue 30 Apr.

With the cool breeze coming off Papa Duc Lake, the guests pass a pleasant camp within the caverns. It would have been more pleasant, incontrovertibly, had there been companions there with them, two-legged or four legged, humped or unhumped, to soothe their aches and pains and engage in diverting, yet elevating, conversation.

In reply to Hieroman (msg # 193):

Ornwin would have followed Hieroman back to camp with the others. He may fall into a long doze...

Once we have rested and are ready to go, we can go back and search the bugbears, and their two rooms, somthing that had not been accomplished before. And maybe we will find the key Hieroman was hoping for.

Once completed, then to the chest room.
Seeing the rungs, Archonia asks Bart, "They are short of the chest, but you are taller than it is short. Can you reach it from the top rung? Perhaps with a rope?"

Of course, if it goes into a reverse gravity at the top of the rungs, maybe he can just walk across the ceiling to the chest.

She also asks, "It has a keyhole, but is it actually locked? Has it been tried at all?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:09, Tue 30 Apr.

“What about Rasxif’s Rope of Climbing? Perhaps we can use it to reach the rungs, to access the chest, to find the key, to open the door, and save Ornwin’s axe from shattering.” Cass rattled off her recommendation and it brought to mind a children’s nursery rhyme she had heard long ago.

In reply to Cassandra (msg # 199):

"The cat and the mouse dwelt in the... chest?" begins Brant, likewise reaching for some long lost rhyme but losing it.
"The rope! Good call!"

Marveling at the chest’s gravity defying position, Brant’s words draw Rasxif from his reverie. He readily produces the rope, setting it on the floor directly beneath the chest, instructing the item to reach up toward the container above.

OOC: Thank you, Cass! Until you spoke up, I’d forgotten that I had the thing!

"Hold the end of it," Archonia suggests. "If it reverses gravity, you don't want it all to get pulled up."

A pause. "That is, unless this is where we have to overcome multiple challenges, or are looking for a comedic moment. Then I shouldn't have spoiled it," she added, a little regretfully.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:14, Tue 30 Apr.

"I'll hang onto it from this end in case things get wiggy.
Brant grabs hold of the other end from Rasxif.

Wait. Since we are still in camp next to the Duc Lake resting and memorizing new spells, are you guys just practicing with the Rope of Climbing?

I like all the thoughts and discussion, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to search the bugbear room for a key or anything else useful. Then, we can tackle the upside down chest.

(OOC) Cass says in many more words to the group, but summarized and paraphrased above.

(ooc)
I mentioned doing exactly that before going into the chest room in msg #198.
The DM hasn't given us the result of that search yet.

And again, I don't think anyone actually checked to see if the door is locked or not
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Yesterday.

Hieroman is thankful for the time to rest, and spends the time off to the side of the group in quiet meditation before sleep and then upon awakening she has a bite to eat before relearning spells

OOC:  The door was never checked, and nor have we been given the height of the ceiling of that room with the upside down chest, yet. 

Rasxif nods in thanks to Brant and, following Archonia’s prompting, takes a firm hold on the magical rope, hoping that he isn’t pulled apart by whatever force is holding the chest in place.

He orders the rope to ascend.

Tucked within the loin cloths of the eight deliquescent bugbears, one of the more money-grubby guests find Matzo-sized balls of precious metals, clocking in at 23 platinum pieces in value total.

After returning to the Hall of Meditation, the guests first determine that the door is locked and that no manner of conventional means will open it, leaving them to conclude that its key must be found within the chest or at the bottom of Duc Lake. Who is to say?

Rasxif, having established an understanding with the intestine of climbing, directs its movements with words of command. It uncoils itself, reaching the ceiling-bound chest with coils to spare.

Who will climb?

I will go ahead and remove my two knightly fellows from consideration. Bart has a 7 DEX and weighs 242 pounds. Bercy has a 9 DEX and weighs 190 pounds. Not to mention they're both clad in chainmail.

I'm sure they'd manage fine on a magical rope of climbing, but there have to be better candidates for the job. I'm guessing it's a choice between Cass (the thief) or Rasxif (the smallest)?

Edit: This was intended for the OOC thread. I posted here by mistake. But since Hieroman has responded, I'll leave it. Sorry for the clutter. FTR, B&B don't care who climbs the rope. They were just thinking out loud.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Today.

OOC: Raxsif can climb. If something disastrous happens, maybe he’ll be small enough to catch. Or not.

"I'll climb." Hieroman offers.  "Though I have memorised stone shape in case we cannot find the key to the door.  I can either pull the stone away from the locking mechanism or from the hinges to get the door open.  Either way it isn't going to hinder us for long, but I'm also really interested in how gravity is working up there," she says staring up at the chest, "and I guess a little interested in the contents of the chest."

She holds out her net of entrapment to Bart.  'If you and your squire can hold this open, as well as perhaps Archonia and Cassandra, it might help to cushion a fall if I should slip."  She considers removing her studded leather armour, but in the end thinks better of it, as the magical armour weighs nothing and might protect her a little if she does fall.

OOC:  Gnomes have a -15% chance of climbing walls on the thieves ability table, not that a magical rope is the same, but perhaps Rasxif isn't the best candidate, especially since he only has 13hp.  Hieroman is happy to make the attempt, and since she also has more HP than most of the other non fighters, she is also the better option.  Rasxif also needs to be holding the rope for it to function.