Strawmen and The Red Herring

Descending Earth 3, R.Y. 778

Iron Shatters Oak had agreed to assist Ash in checking that The Geronimo remained water-worthy before pulling down the sail and dropping it into the sea for The Circle with No Name’s most recent mission. Though made for the skies, The Geronimo still made for an impressive naval vessel, and as Oak suspected all along there was nothing to be concerned about. Oak stuck around aboard the ship while the crew made preparations to disembark, visiting with familiar faces and admiring the craftsmanship of the first age flying machine. While performing the rare spring cleaning of the cargo hold they came across a most peculiar and unfamiliar box; one that Ash would later own up to having forgotten about. The chest had been stolen from Aleena’s house during the events of Mission 12 by Zealot and Ash, the Circle had attempted to open it but failed to do so, leading to Ash discarding and eventually forgetting about it on aboard The Geronimo. Oak offered to take a look at it while The Circle with No Name traveled west.

The Chest is magically sealed and locked by an intricate series of physical locks arranged in concentric circles along the top, all of which seem rigged to destroy whatever the chest contains if they are damaged. Oak took it back to his cabin to work on opening it at his own leisure, and throughout a day of working on it had accumulated a bit of help. Some of the help was more engaged in the process than others.

Oak’s cabin hardly resembles a cabin anymore, it had long taken on the personality of it’s owner and turned into a humble, working area just comfortable enough to live in, depending on who you asked. The ceiling had been vaulted allowing adequate space for sparring, though that function was less often used these days. The center of the peaked, thatched roof was open which allowed the smoke from the forge at the center of the room to escape, but not before giving the spacious single room cabin the distinct smell of soot. Most of Oak’s other possessions lined the border of the single circular room and included a modest straw bed and another fireplace that was geared more towards cooking. Between the two heat sources it was always warm in the cabin even during the coldest winters, during the summer it could be unbearable to spend more than a few minutes in the heat. It never seemed to bother him. A keg of ale was near the door and a keg of whiskey near the fireplace. The walls were lined, floor to ceiling in the finest crafted, intricate, unique, clever, and downright outrageous weapons in all of Creation. They ranged materials across all of creation, from bamboo to soul steel; and all varieties from simple bludgeoning staves to essence cannons. All created by Oak’s hand over the last three centuries.

Oak was currently sitting cross-legged in front of the fireplace with an old school lock pit set rolled out of it’s worn leather case at one side, his white jade smith-hammer at the other, and the small wooden chest directly between him and the hearth. He tinkered with the outermost lock gently as he pondered the perplexing box.

The One-Eyed Queen of Silk and Lace who had already tried her hand at opening the chest during Mission 12 was the first to join Oak in his attempt to safely crack it. She was sitting close by, at one edge of the hearth facing him and observing his methods for solving the tricky puzzle. Queen’s very nature seemed to be the opposite of Oak, her exquisite, fashionable dress like the beacon of a lighthouse in the soot-filled cabin. Yet she was completely comfortable here, perched on a dusty stone cooking hearth peering at a wooden box nestled into the dirt floor. The two had been silent for some time, their initial theory had gotten them nowhere and neither had gotten far enough along in their second thought to collaborate. She was occasionally sipping from a half full mug of tea as she stared at the box and thought.

Cello had joined the pair sometime during their first combined attempt at opening the chest after spending the night in the bowels of the manse with Samsarra, all she had really wanted to do was sleep, but somehow she ended up here instead. After Oak and Queen had failed the first time, Cello had stepped in and promptly summoned a 1st Circle Demon supposedly with the ability to solve any riddle. After one look at the chest the demon backed away and declared that it would not open the chest, though bound and commanded to do so by Cello it further explained that it was not physically incapable, but mentally incapable of performing the task. Frustrated, Cello banished the demon and promptly lost interest in helping. Since then she had been sprawled out on a thatched reed matt near the door, where airflow was the best as Cello did not appreciate the heat of Oak’s cabin, alternating between almost drifting into a nap and casually flipping through the pages of the only book Oak kept in his cabin. The mighty tome was actually a notebook, bound with the heartstring of a slain behemoth between two great slabs of Ironwood from the far east; inside Oak claimed to have notes and sketches on every weapon he has ever crafted. Even that did not hold her interest as Cello’s characteristic blase attitude was in prime form this afternoon.

Bran had picked up on the familiar, essence pattern of demon summoning when Cello had attempted to open the chest and had joined them shortly after. Once Queen filled him in on the details of the Mission and the chest they were attempting to open, he had decided to stay to see what would come of it. He was currently standing behind Oak, peering over his shoulder to study the enigmatic chest as he nursed a glass of whiskey from Oak’s barrel.

Carp strut confidently through the open door into Oak’s cabin chewing on the last bite of a piece of buffalo jerky, gnawing relentlessly at the tough meat. Not bothering to wait until he was finished chewing Carp broke the silence, "I hear you got a chest full of loot! I'll bet you I crank that son o' bitch before any of you."

Oak didn't turn his head to respond to the grass spider behind him instead holding up one hand as if to pause the scene, "Carp, you know I don't gamble… With you... Anymore..."

"You learn quick for an old fella!" Carp bantered as he crossed the room towards the chest and trio studying it.

"Watch it young blood, I can still crush your skull with one hand." Oak replied, still without looking up from the chest.

"I'd pay to see that." Cello chimed in from across the room.

"I have," said a stone faced Bran. "Worth every penny."

"If you help us get it open we'll let you in on the split Carp." Oak declared.

"I think I know how to start it, " Queen interjected. "The locks are arranged in concentric circles, laid out in such a way to imply starting with the outside. However, if you start at the center and work out while spinning the locks counter clockwise the markings on the lock should align into a Old Realm inscription. The trick is you have to rotate all five at once."

“I concur, and the inscription is undoubtedly the key to breaking the magical seal.” Bran confirmed before adding a last comment. “Additionally, this chest has bathed in the Green Sun of Malfeas. We should proceed with caution.”

Oak nodded and wordlessly continued his work, though for the first time in several hours with some sort of purpose to his attempts. Though the heavy jade hammer might have been his preference to opening the box he had learned patience over the years. Instead he picked up four additional tools from the rolled out lock set, nimbly splitting them between his two massive, hardened hands and went to work on all five circular locks at once. The four Grass Spiders near the hearth gathered closer as they watched Oak work the locks, even with Oak's considerable skill it was a slow moving process. Back at the doorway, Cello lazily used her arm as a pillow and convincingly pretended to doze off.

--FyreFly 23:37, 24 January 2014 (EST)

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