Zull was doing quite well, about as good as Kleris.  She seemed to have little trouble following Professor Murrin's instructions, her nimble fingers clipping and twisting and poking and prying at the device in front of her.<br/><br/>"Hmm, good, good," Professor Murrin said as he walked from desk to desk, observing the various students.  "No, use the tweezers, not your fingers!  That's what they're there for!"<br/><br/>He lingered a little longer than usual at Kleris' desk.  Probably wanting to see if he was as good at disarming traps as identifying them.  He nodded in approval and went to the next desk without a word.<br/><br/>Eventually a small chime echoed from someone's lockbox.  "You activated the trigger," Murrin said.  "You'll be hearing that if you make a mistake.  Here, try again," he said as he deactivated the chime by turning a small screw around.<br/><br/>One of the students, the harpy Evgenia, activated a few (3, to be exact) before completely unlocking the box.  Kleris only activated 1 chime; Andrei, the pale boy from the Transmutation class, was the only person in the class to perform flawlessly.  5 of the other 12 students stumbled frequently, unable to unlock their boxes at all.  One first year kicked his desk in anger, only to be admonished by Murrin.  "You need to keep your cool in this line of work!  An impatient trap springer is the bane of all adventurers!"<br/><br/>"Time's up!" Murrin exclaimed.  "Please bring your boxes to my desk."<br/><br/>"About half of you managed to make it through to the end."  The students who failed cringed.<br/><br/>"Don't be down, as a whole you did far better than many other classes I've taught.  Now then," he bent over to the floor and slid over a hidden trapdoor, "it's time to develop your skills further in the Gauntlet."<br/><br/>The class was atwitter with speculation.  "The Gauntlet?" Zull exclaimed.  "Isn't it a little early for that?"<br/><br/>"Are you sending us into a dungeon?" a halfling boy sitting next to her asked.<br/><br/>"Any questions you have will be answered once you follow me!  Take your tools along with you, you'll need them!  Now take your time on the ladder, and wait for the people in front of you to descend for a few moments before following them.  I don't want you all bunched up like a cavern full of gibberlings!"<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge Nature DC 10</div><div class="spoiler_body">Gibberlings are barely sapient, black-furred humanoids who lair in the Underdark and constantly howl, shriek, and babble for hours on end.  They're considered pests and vermin by dwarves, drow, and other subterranean civilizations.</div></div><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/ygXsuOI.jpg?1)<br/><br/>(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvcJN6r7H04#!)<br/><br/>You've heard that Redhurst contained a vast series of catacombs below the school, although you're surprised at how much room there is in this dark chamber.  The ladder ends at a platform located at the top of a spiral staircase which winds down a dimly lit pit.  Black, winged creatures which surely are not bats flit about at the edges of light.  Daniel casts a spell to create four orbs of white light to circle around the class.  Even the three dwarves in the class of twelve appeared frightened, sticking close to their friends and the Professor.<br/><br/>The passageway at the bottom opened up into a stone room with 4 sets of 3 iron portcullises at the north, south, and east end and a single bowl of burning incense in the center.<br/><br/>"Each of you must maneuver alone through an obstacle course," Murrin said.  "There are times when you'll be split off from the rest of the party, or you're the only one who can see in the darkness after the torch and light spells wear out.  Plus I'll be able to more accurately grade each of your performances without the others to win your challenges."<br/><br/>"Kleris, you're at the south end!  Zull, north!  Andrei, east!"<br/><br/>After giving out the rest of the instructions, Murrin spoke again.  "You will be monitored remotely via scrying, and none of you will be in direct danger."<br/><br/>Professor Murrin tossed a bag of powder into the fire, giving the room an eerie blue glow.  "All of the passageways are relatively equal in length and magnitude of challenges.  You will encounter environmental obstacles, hidden objects and locations if you can find them, and locks and trap to unlock and overcome.  You will be judged on how fast and efficiently you can make it to the end, triggering as little incidents as possible.  At my signal, you will proceed beyond the doorways."<br/><br/>The portcullises opened seemingly at their own accord.<br/><br/>"Get ready."<br/><br/>One of the students whimpered.<br/><br/>"Get set..."<br/><br/>"Go!"<br/><br/><br/><br/>The portcullis crashed behind Kleris as soon as he made it through the other side.  In front of him was a dark passageway of hewn stone, flickering torches providing the barest of illumination.  The passageway curves to the left before opening out into what appears to be a giant tiled room.  Equidistant from each other were red, yellow, and black squares three feet in length and width (3 square feet).<br/><br/><em>You have a set of thieves' tools provided to you, a small steel mirror, a box of matches, three unlit candles with holders, a dagger, a hammer, and a bag of marbles.  Other than that, no other equipment</em><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Detect Magic</div><div class="spoiler_body">The entire floor is awash with magical energy.  Mild evocation.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Perception DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">The room is 30 feet wide by 50 feet long.  You can make out a doorway at the opposite end.</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Knowledge Dungeoneering DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">The floor is not meant to be conventionally walked across.  Obviously stepping in the wrong area will do something bad!</div></div>