The group follows the passage west until it ends in a landslide of rubble most likely caused by the earthquake. There is a set of steps leading up to another level, and a passage heading south to where you came down from the dwarven camp. Four of Korin's followers are
always in this room , ready to stop any orcs coming down the shaft from above.
The group follows the passage to the east. You come to a four-way intersection - to the south is the large cavern, to the north is a small room with a set of stairs leading up. There is an open pit trap blocking the way to the east, though. This 10' deep pit has a number of rusty iron stakes sticking up from the bottom, with a skeleton in old leather armor impaled on several. Next to the skeleton you can see a short sword and a broken shortbow.
"Poor soul. It looks like he feel afoul of one of the old traps here. Still, perhaps he can be of help to us still." Kyrus reaches into his back and pulls out a long cord of rope. "Someone hold this. Or two of you preferably. I can lower myself down and recover his gear. I can see a pack, and perhaps he has something interesting on him."
"I can hold you, but Ulf's probably as strong as two of me..."
Úlf gives a nod at the suggestion. "Úlf would be glad to hold rope and lower you down."
"Thank you kindly." He hands the rope to the pair and carefully lowers himself into the pit, moving slowly to get to the ground between the spikes without impaling himself. He picks his way through the spikes and collects the man's backpack and the shortsword if it's still in decent condition. He leaves the body and the rest and climbs back up with the gear slung over his shoulder. "Let's see what he was carrying."
The shortsword is in surprisingly good condition, considering the leather backpack is tattered with age. Inside, you find what may have been some extra clothes, an old rope, and a bedroll that all disintegrate in your hands. The 50 gold pieces, of course, are still solid and valuable, although the markings on them are unique and not any that you've seen before. There are also, surprisingly, two vials full of a translucent blue liquid that survived the fall and the passage of time!
As you are investigating these items, you hear a faint scuffling further along the passage beyond the pit. Kyrus catches a glimpse of a head, most likely a human male, looking around the edge of the southern branch (from room 35).
A figure dressed in a grey set of armor trimmed in red and a great sword over one shoulder steps into the corridor. A glowing orb is held in one hand as he looks over the party.
"Greetings fellow adventurers. I am Battle-brother Liren Keel, follower of Our Lord in Iron. I mean you no harm and welcome you as friends."
Kyrus raises an eyebrow as he sees the man come around the corner. "Hello there," he says carefully. "I didn't expect to see anyone down here who wasn't trying to kill us. What brings you to this place?"
"The foggy direction of my god. I was led here by his prompting, and if you know anything about Gorum, then you know his prompts are not subtle. While he saved me from that trap, I was stuck on this side without rope to climb down. An embarrassment for sure, but I have already paid my penance to The Iron Lord."
"Is good you did not fall into trap, else you may have made your penance in person! If you mean us no harm, I think we do not mean any to you. There is plenty here that does, though. Is good to be on guard!"
"Indeed, it's lucky that you haven't fallen afoul of one of the traps or bands of orcs or bandits lurking down here. Give us a moment and we'll try to help you out. I can throw some rope across for you to get across with."
"I thank you all, and I most certainly do not mean you any harm...in fact I believe I was sent here to find you."
"You're going to have to explain that later," Kyrus says.
Ami will leave the potions for someone with more training, but if no-one else wants to take a look, she'll take a few swings with the sword.
Úlf will do the same; potions and tinctures are not at all his area of expertise.
Reflex Save:
Tyler applies a special alchemical liquid to the rope in two places and throws one end across the pit towards Liren, who catches it in his off hand. Right where the glue is...Fortunately, the warpriest quickly pulls the rope off before the glue is fully set and only removes a small amount of skin in the process.
After affixing the line to the ground near the wall (but not too close), he begins to shimmy across...
Climb:
Liren makes his way across the rope and finally arrives on the side with the rest of the party.
"My thanks! While Gorum was able to keep me from dying of thirst, I was getting a little worried about food! Again, I am Liren Keel, Battle-Brother of Our Lord in Iron."
"Kyrus Leafstrider," the half-elf says, offering a hand to the priest. "A common hunter with a knack for tricks and traps who occasionally makes the time to thank Old Dead-eye for his blessings. It's a pleasure to meet you my friend." Once their potential new ally is safely across, Kyrus gives the rope a few hard tugs to pull it loose and regain his rope as best he can.
Tyler applies the Alchemical solvent and returns to rope to Kyrus.
"Well met Liren." He says cheerfully. "Tyler Crane. Alchemy and traps are my trade."
"Amelleanne or Ami, if that's too long." she smiles at Liren, "I'm afraid I'm little more than a servant with a little experience in the local militia"
"Úlfheðinn Sigmundarson, but most call me Úlf! Is good to meet you, Liren Keel! You will find there is much work to be done for warriors if you stay long with us."
The now slightly larger group continues their exploration of this level, heading south to the large cavern and then east, following the passage the bandits took earlier. You get to a four-way intersection, with passages north, south, and east.
Once their new ally is acquainted with the group, Kyrus takes his customary place at the lead as they keep moving. He keeps an eye out for more traps or obstacles along the way, but doesn't see much.
Tyler follows Kyrus, looking around cautiously.
Once Kyrus prods Tyler about the loose stone Tyler will attempt to disarm the trap. Making sure the rest of the party is back a bit. :)
Kyrus takes Tyler's advice to stand clear just in case, but he's ready to help if the alchemist needs a hand.
The combo of Tyler's and Kyrus' experience and deft hands allow them to disable the trap, which allows the group to freely pass through this area until they decide to re-arm it!
Exploring the rooms to the north reveal several 20'x20' chambers that were once likely a series of bunkrooms. There is broken furniture and nearly disintegrated mattresses, but nothing of value here.
"I suggest we try south first, then wrap back around. We can make sure we've cleared this whole floor that way."
"Sounds good to me." Tyler agrees with Kyrus.
Tyler.
continuing to walk with the group, Liren quietly speaks with them.
"So what has brought you all to this place? Is there some task you are looking to complete?"
"We were first sent here to deal with a poison leaking from the ruins into the local water supply. We met the dwarves who are trying to reclaim this land from a horde of orcs and bandits, so we thought that we'd do what we could to aid them."
Kyrus stops everyone in their tracks and points out another loose stone in the middle of the floor in front of the room just ahead and to the west of your current position .
Initiative