Immersive Ink

Kiplyn scans the area, but doesn't detect any traps, snares, or ambushes. Nothing suspicious. The chest itself, will require closer examination. From a safe distance, the only thing that looks a little odd about the chest is the latching mechanism holding it shut. It's not a standard padlock or keyhole, like you might expect.

OOC: Find Traps, DM rolls in secret, 1d6 = ???

"If it's got a weird lock, that could explain why it's here... no one can open it!" Dame Simonetta muses. "Life that lantern up, Willie, so I can see better."

She picks up one of the stones nearby and tosses it at the chest. If nothing strange happens, she will approach the chest more closely (but not touch it yet) to take a closer look at the lock.

Dame Simonetta hits the chest with a rock and hears a solid, wooden thump. The chest shows no sign of being an animated or living creature, and neither does the impact trigger any traps.

On closer inspection, where the lock should be, she sees a brass ring on a fine metal chain. The chain disappears into a hole in the chest. It looks like the pull string on a talking doll.

Willie surveys the chest from several feet back, holding Lantern III up high so all can see.

"Well, I don't think it's a spoiler to say we may have seen something like this before. But not on the 2nd Dungeon Level! Tell you what: how 'bout everyone get back outside the chamber, and I will pull the cord & see what happens. Somebody else can take the next turn!" he adds with a nervous laugh.

Willie happens to have some string in his pocketses. He ties one end to the brass ring so that he can pull the cord from as far back as possible.

"Alright, if you know what you're doing..." Dame Simonetta will follow Willie's suggestion, leaving him alone with the chest.

Willie carefully pulls the string and hears a clockwork mechanism clicking and whirring inside the chest. Then he hears a woman's voice coming from inside the chest. It is tinny and distorted, but sounds vaguely familiar. Willie can't quite put his finger on where he's heard this voice before:

puffballs in autumn
and glow worms in the cavern
of the spider goat

Then there is a loud 'click' and the pull-chain retracts into the chest. A different voice rings out, vaguely feminine, but harsh and artificial in timbre:

AT THE SOUND OF THE TONE
PLEASE RECORD YOUR HIGH-KOO

Then there is a "beeeeeeep" sound, and Willie has the uncanny feeling he's being listened to.

OOC: This doesn't have to just be a Willie thing; anyone can chime in, and you can talk about it out of character, if you like.

Bilfur asks, " what is a hiii kuu?" He yells to the box " I am Bilfur"

Willie, who's fairly intelligent, has some book larnin' (Mama Whitfoot always insisted he study human books so he could get along in their society), and is always quick on his feet, picks up and finishes Bilfur's High-Koo by speaking its second half:

what is a high-koo
I am Bilfur who is Strange
adventure finds the talk box

There is a 'beep' sound and then Bilfur and Willie hear their poem recited back to them in their own voices (switching halfway through). Crackly and distorted, but recognizable as their own:

what is a high-koo
I am Bilfur who is Strange
adventure finds the talk box

The high-koo is accompanied by gentle, chiming music-box sounds. It is the most beautiful music the hobbets have ever heard, a soothing pentatonic melody like wind chimes. The music fades out after a few minutes. Our heroes experience a fleeting moment of relaxation and enlightenment before their senses return to the reality of their situation.

Willie grins happily & high-fives Bilfur. He motions for others to try the chest if they wish, but otherwise he's ready to push on to the east.