Have you ever wondered exactly what that fellow in the east tower does with your boxes? or maybe why it takes the fellow forever to open your boxes? Well, I thought that I might let you look on me while I pick one of the boxes I have stashed in my satchel. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.
Eliezar takes a high-topped black silk hat off his head.
Eliezar bows.
Eliezar puts a high-topped black silk hat on his head.
Eliezar says, "da name is Eliezar Fontamillas, but my friends normally call me Eli...now if you'll watch over my should a minute I'll show ya how ta handle a box or two."
Eliezar says, "Okay...I have this coffer that a Sheruvian Monk handed me cuz he didn't have enough silvers to pay this weeks taxes. Let's see if we can open it."
Eliezar says, "First thing ya got ta do is check for traps on the box. Checking for traps is prolly the easiest part of the job for the professional locksmith, but for others...well sometimes they just don't have the disarming skill, perception, or wisdom to find the traps and then they go blowing themselves up."
Eliezar whispers, "Now ya know I'm speakin' bout da wart-nosed sorcerer, furry footed wizard, and plate headed warrior, but let's just keep dat between you and me."
Eliezar says, "although now days more and more folks of different walks of life are picking up a little disarming trainin' and sum of dem may even be listenin' to me talk about traps...if so ya are the one exception ta the rule."
Eliezar winks.
Eliezar says, "Okay...let me examine this thing."
Eliezar carefully begins to examine the coffer for traps...
Peering closely into the lock, he spies a miniature sky blue glaes scarab wedged into the lock mechanism. The scarab's surface is etched with tiny runes that seem to writhe as the light strikes them.
It looks like an absurdly difficult trap (about -220).
He still has a good enough picture of the trap in his mind, that he could try to disarm it.
Round time: 29 sec.
Eliezar says, "Wow, got one of dem nasty beetles. Like dem though, cuz if ya undisease the blue ones or unpoison the green ones, they fetch as much silver as a nice diamond."
Eliezar says, "Okay...here goes nothing."
Having discovered a trap on the coffer he begins to carefully attempt to disarm it...
The darn thing is built too tightly. He can't seem to get the trap disarmed without setting it off by accident!
He still has a good enough picture of the trap in his mind, that he could try to disarm it.
Round time: 45 sec.
Eliezar says, "Okay...I need to get a different angle on this one. Ya see it takes skill in disarming and the wisdom in knowing how to use that skill to disarm a trap. Oh yeah, and lore helps ya ta both see traps and disarm them. I think I could use some right now."
Eliezar gestures.
Eliezar becomes calm and focused.
Eliezar says, "Again, here goes nothing."
Having discovered a trap on the coffer he begins to carefully attempt to disarm it...
He carefully uses the tip of his lockpick to nudge the scarab free of its prison without disturbing the lock too much. The scarab falls from the lock and onto the ground in front of him.
Round time: 21 sec.
Eliezar exclaims, "he he...alright I got the trap disarmed and it has already taken me 95 seconds and I haven't even gotten around to trying to pick the lock!"
Eliezar says, "Now to pick a lock I have to risk the health of an 18k lockpick so remember that when ya next have a chance ta be a frienly tipper. Oh, I prefer spells to silvers, but those folks in the east tower that aren't gonna be fightin' for a while prolly prefer the coins."
Eliezar removes a bright silvery lockpick from inside his alloy lockpick case.
Eliezar says, "Okay, now this is just an alum lockpick I put in some colored clay. Now alums are the best lockpicks you can buy from Larton the locksmith. You have to be a customer with backroom access to buy one though. Now, there are only 3 lockpicks in Elanthia that improve your lockpicking skill by more than an alum so ya can plan on breaking lots of alums in ya life."
Eliezar says, "Now, to pick a lock you have to put all your wisdom, lockpicking skill, and any magic enchantment you might have into use through your lockpick. I'll try to demonstrate."
Eliezar settles into the difficult task of picking the lock.
Eliezar makes an adequate attempt (d100=58).
Eliezar struggles with the lock. As he does, he gets a sense that the lock
has an absurdly difficult lock (-545 thief-lingo difficulty ranking).
Then...CLICK! It opens!
Round time: 20 sec.
Eliezar beams!
Eliezar says, "There we go. Got this box disarmed and opened and it only took me a total of 1 minute and 55 seconds."
Eliezar says, "well...I better let ya get back to your business because I still have 7 more boxes to open, and at 2 minutes a box I might be here all day."
Eliezar waves.
