Isla Muerte: The Art Commission
PART SIX
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five
Standing in the art studio belonging to David Wallace, Filadelfo the Frosty considered the two closed doors in the room. Behind him lay the open door to the bedroom he had just exited, the artist and his wife still asleep. According to the map sketch in the wizard’s hand, the normal wooden door led to a large storage room and the stairs to the first floor. The steel-reinforced door in the north room led to an unknown room.
Probably a secure storage room or vault, thought Filadelfo as he slowly approached the door. Why keep the secret of his art out in the open when not using it? Closing his eyes, he focused on his magic senses and confirmed there was a strong presence beyond the door, but not on the door itself. Satisfied, he opened his eyes and extended his hand towards the door handle.
Spot Check:
Filadelfo: 13
Trap: 7
Filadelfo 13 Vs Trap 7 (no bonuses for this roll)
As his hand reached for the lever-action handle on the door, Filadelfo paused. He glanced back at the other two doors in the room; both had a normal round knob. Why is this one different? he asked himself. Carefully scrutinizing the door, he found a small loophole screw affixed to the door, hidden by the handle. A very thin thread, almost invisible, was looped around the handle and through the screw, heading down to the floor. At the floor, the thread vanished through a tiny hole. Pushing down on the door handle would pull on the thread, triggering whatever trap lay below.
His heart leapt to his throat as he realized the mistake he had almost made. Stupid! Stupid! Taking a deep breath, he gently reached out and slowly slid the loop of thread off the handle. Carefully, he pulled it through the loop screw also, so it was no longer attached to the door. He then laid the thread on the floor and did a second, then third, paranoid check of the door. Unable to find anymore traps, he calmed himself then pressed down on the door handle.
Locked.
The wizard sighed in frustration. “So much for being subtle,” he muttered softly to himself. He gripped the handle tightly and started to whisper the words to a spell, then stopped himself. Instead, he walked over to a workbench next to the unfinished painting and found a small tool. Perfect! Returning to the locked door, he stuck the tool into the lock and wedged it against the tumblers. He then restarted the spell he had almost cast moments before, and within seconds the tool in his hand frosted over. A few more seconds and the metal panel around the lock frosted over as well. Letting go of the tool, the wizard then grabbed the door handle and yanked down hard on it. The thin metal pieces inside the lock shattered and the door swung open.
Filadelfo stood still, almost not daring to breathe, listening to the sound of snoring coming from the bedroom. When there was no interruption, he was satisfied his forced entry was not noticed. Paranoid senses on full alert, he scanned the floor beyond the open door for signs of traps. Hoping it was safe, and suddenly realizing he was sweating, he entered the room.
The walls were covered with shelves and boxes, books, and items of all kinds filled almost every open space. Even the floor had crates stacked, leaving a narrow path to walk through the rectangular room. Near the door, the magical bust of David Wallace sat on a shelf at waist height. Pulling a bag from a pouch on his belt, Filadelfo grabbed the bust and carefully dropped it in the sack.
Spot Check:
Filadelfo: 7
Loot: 3
Filadelfo 7 Vs Loot 3 (no bonuses for this roll)
Before he left the room with his prize, he glanced around the treasure vault. Most of the items were either too large to carry, unseen inside containers, or things he knew better than to touch. One item caught his eye, however: a pair of leather boots with a small wing symbol embossed near the pull tab. He grabbed the boots and threw them into the sack.
Filadelfo gains Magic Boots (+1 to all rolls)
Leaving the vault, Filadelfo closed the door then carefully reset the trap. It was fairly obvious to anyone paying attention that the door had been broken into, but maybe they would rush to open it instead of checking the trap first. He chuckled silently to himself as he slipped back into the bedroom and stepped on the portal. He was about to send himself back down to the first floor bedroom when he had an idea. Crossing his fingers, he moved the stone on the panel to the location marked: LeLtu.
Once again the light swirled around him, dazzling him. When his vision cleared he found himself in a small closet with no door. A quick search revealed a hidden doorway in the wall opposite the portal. Sliding it open, he confirmed his suspicions when he found himself in the office of a merchant’s shop: David Wallace’s own shop in Port Faust’s Merchant District. Fortunately, the owner was still asleep at home. Slipping out the back door, he made his way to Lady Celeste’s home.
“Oh my,” she exclaimed when he arrived at her home. “I didn’t expect you to succeed so quickly! Thank you very much!” She carried the bust into her studio and placed it in a prepared space on her worktable. She gazed on it for a moment, then turned the bust around so it wasn’t facing her anymore. “I don’t think I want that looking at me all the time.” She smile at Filadelfo. “But let’s just hope it works, eh?” She then crossed the room and opened a drawer in a small wooden cabinet. “I received this last year in trade during a trip to Kedalton,” she said as removed a small, thin box. “I hope you can find some use for it; it’s only taking up space in my shop.” She handed the red box to Filadelfo.
“Thank you, Lady Celeste,” he replied with a small bow. “It was a pleasure working for you.” He opened the box to reveal a thin stick of wood, approximately six inches long. He carefully lifted it out of the box and appraised the smoothly lacquered wand. Gold lettering appeared to be burned into the side.
Filadelfo gains Magic Wand (+2 to all spells)
“I was told,” Lady Celeste offered, “that the writing is an Ancient phrase meaning ‘Through Power, Victory’. It supposedly increases the effect of any spell channeled through it.”
“Very nice,” Filadelfo said approvingly. He placed the wand back in the box and closed the lid. “Thank you, my Lady. I am sure you are quite eager to experiment with your new acquisition, so I will take my leave of you.”
With that, he bowed and left the woman alone as she eagerly sat down in front of a drawing table and took up a brush. The wizard headed home, deciding to lay low for a few days. He certainly didn’t want to be one of Wallace’s guards when the man woke up and found his prized possession gone! He grinned as he thought of that, as well as the story he would have to tell the next time he got together with his friends.
The End
Filadelfo the Frosty
Ice Wizard — 50/50 Health
+4 to Ranged Attacks (Magic)
+2 Versus Fire Creatures (Ice Magic
+2 to Spells (Magic Wand)
+1 to all rolls (Magic Boots)
