The SG should probably avoid replying when he's in a hurry....It did go off. It had absolutely no impact--evidently an illusion. That would explain why Theodoric didn't mention the trap when he mentioned there was one lab still accessible. Maybe the previous occupant was a Flambeau with a subtle sense of humor?
Or maybe not: in the corner, facing a point just inside the door, there's a large self-standing lamp (the lamp chamber is mounted on a tall iron pole), utterly mangled, and there's a blackened area on the floor right where it's pointing.
Smell wouldn't have helped with a Creo Ignem effect. Especially if it hadn't gone off in years, leaving no smell of smoke or burnt matter.
No vis, no. It's possible the lab was stripped of it, but if the owner retreated with the others, he probably took it with him.
Huh? I don't see how such a scent has anything to do with it. I think there's some confusion.
Here's the spell Tasia had active:
Sight of the Sigil
R: Per, D: Conc, T: Vision
Used by the most experienced Quaesitors, this spell allows the magus to spot active magic or traces of positive magnitude. In the case of Hermetic effects, this spell gives the Technique and Form, the rough details of the effect and the casting sigil of the wizard responsible. It can also detect if a Hermetic effect was generated by a spell or invested device. If the effect was non-Hermetic, similar information is provided, but a Quaesitor without knowledge of magic may not be able to interpret it.
(Enchanted effects have a trace of magnitude equal to the number of pawns used to open the effect.)
Here's part of the Acute Sense Spell Mastery Option:
Intensive Quaesitorial training and techniques gives a chance to spot the tell-tale imperfections of Vim or Imaginem deceptions. This takes the form of a new mastery ability applicable to all magical sense spells...
With this ability an altered, hidden, or even destroyed magical trace, may be sensed...
This ability can be taken twice. Taking it a second time allows the magus to add his Mastery score to the perception roll.
Yes, it detects any active spell of any magnitude. It also detects any invested effect of any magnitude. Although it says "positive," the guideline is actually non-negative. (The writer(s) had some trouble with their math. We fixed some of it after the book came out, but the errors are still there.) That means it detects invested charged devices (no vis used), too. Since it can find traces, that means it can also reveal recently cast spells, "recent" being based on the duration of the spell. Details are obtained for all of those as well.
It does not detect Faerie, Infernal, and Divine effects.
Tasia had had it active upon entering the caves, seeing the first room with the doorways, going down the open passageway, and looking into the lab from outside of the door.
OK, then you probably should have seen the effect on the door, yes. As far as the lab itself, the hypocaust is magical, and the lamp has a magical smell about it.
Darn, Tasia wouldn't have dropped her spell for an illusion. Anyway, could she see the hypocaust and the lamp through the doorway before entering? If so, what Forms and Techniques and basic effects are we looking at? (The later smell spell is for Vis, not for more general magic.)
Sorry, I missed this post, probably because the board randomly neglects to send out notifications.
No, she couldn't see those things through the door. The doorway effect was CrIm, obviously. The other two (the now-destroyed trap-lamp and the hypocaust) are CrIg effects. How much detail are you supposed to be able to garner?
The spell gives the Arts, the casting sigil, and a rough idea of the effect. But that's irrelevant for effects she couldn't see through the doorway since the spell is gone now. After they've looked around the rooms Tasia says to Portia, "Let's take a look in the other rooms. It won't be difficult to move the stone."
When they head back Tasia will whisper to Vrahos "Would you like to toss the stone out of the way of one of the doorways?... No, I didn't think you'd mind."
Tasia picks the other southern one (for OOC reasons because Chris wants to avoid getting confused). She makes sure she and Portia are well away from it before Vrahos tosses all the rocks out of the way. Tasia will provide back-up to Vrahos with Fanning the Magical Flames if needed.
Oh, whoops, forgot about that. There's the confusion. Tasia and Vrahos will investigate the stairway first. Vrahos will use the rock he's been using to check ahead of them.
Oh, the stairwell is filled in, too, huh? More fun for Vrahos...
Tasia will watch Vrahos's work with delight. (She has started to enjoy his work.) She will use Fanning the Magical Flames as needed during the process. She's not in any rush.
It's not that the whole stairway its blocked, but that the passage is blocked by rubble, not simply by a single big rock. Nonetheless, Vrahos eventually clears it, leaving the staircase accessible. I assume you're going down it?
Yes, Tasia proceeds down the staircase carefully. She keeps her eyes out for anything she might be able to spot while Vrahos beats the stairs, walls, ceiling, and floor ahead of them with a large stone.
OK, then down the stairs you all go. Picking your way over bits of rubble as you head eastwards and downwards, you find yourself at the western entrance to another chamber, fairly large but not as big as the first. This time there are only three other entrances, in the centers of each of the other three walls, and all of them are blocked by rubble.
Vrahos will open up the three entrances, piling the rocks in the center of the room. It takes a little longer than might be expected because he builds the pile by tossing the rocks and a relatively high speed to see if they will break against what already exists of the pile. This, of course, knocks rocks that were in the pile out of it, too. But it's a lot more fun.
Tasia sits, enjoying watching Vrahos play. She keeps an eye out in case anything shows up from the doorways as they open. She doesn't have the inclination to recast her InVi spell since it was done ceremonially before and takes quite a while.
Especially if it hadn't gone off in years, leaving no smell of smoke or burnt matter.