Less worried with the battle turning in their favor, Rokar waits back and let's his dog continue to attack the rats.
"This place is utterly overrun with vermin," Aisha complains.
Corric hisses as he tests the bites he receives for deepness. Nothing too bad, but they'll sting for a while.
"I enjoy a good nibble every now and then, but rodents are a bit too eager. Are we done here?"
Rokar slides into the room with Milani on his heels.
"What do you think's in there?" he asks, pointing at the lockbox before glancing towards the stairs cautiously.
"Hopefully not another hungry rat..."
"You're right about that Aisha. I'm starting to wonder if the town rat catcher is on holiday or something," the dwarven paladin joked, trying to improve the mood a bit.
Norasha wondered about the lockbox as well.
"Aye. Tis better if we check it for traps. We don't want to lose anyone to a trap now."
"Right, on it."
Cleric will take his time and eventually open the lock.
Aisha takes the potion and the two scroll tubes. She examines the vial, then pops the scroll tubes open to check their contents.
As Aisha puzzles over the contents of the lockbox, Rokar and Milani move quietly over to the stairs, peering around the corner and sniffing for any out-of-place smells. In a hushed voice, he mutters,
"Whoever was here certainly left a lot of valuables behind. We need to be careful as we continue."
"Aye, that be true Rokar. Someone is using this place and I don't think it just be restless spirits," Norasha said in reply to Rokar's comment.
The dwarven paladin also assisted in checking for clues.
Corric sings to himself as he looks for anything else he might have missed before.
"We're looking for treasure, we're looking for loot. We're looking for hidden passages! Until someone gives us the boot."
"A spell to deal with specters," Aisha comments as she manages to recognize one of the scrolls. "I really hope that we're not about to need it..."
Corric, still wielding his saps, motions to the party to get closer together.
"First things first. Aisha....you're absolutely cute when you fling rocks around. Is that a mind trick or a magic one? Secondly, we might have some orcs downstairs. I'd recommend being cautious, in case the orc is alive."
Corric will move with the party downstairs, keeping an eye out and sneaking all the while.
"Mind mostly," Aisha says. She falls silent, trying not to make much noise, just in case there is someone ahead of them.
Rokar follows Corric closely as they advance, and follows the orc smell.
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The stone stairs end in a stark subterranean chamber. Doorways to the northwest and southwest offer egress from the room.
Around the corner to the south, a lone statue has been relegated to a dusty corner behind the stairs.
The statue depicts a woman in a pose of peace, with both her hands wrapped loosely around the hilt of her sheathed sword, which looks oddly askew.
The scent leads out the west passage and to the north.
Norasha looks and studies the statue hoping to learn more about the statue and why the sword was askew.
Corric will tiptoe his way to the doorways, listening and smelling for orc.
Aisha's eyes light up slightly as she scans the room with her power, looking for anything that might have a magical aura.
Norasha recognized the statue as that of Iomedae. She also noticed that the sword looked off as if someone had removed the sword and put it back, incorrectly it would seem.
"Well this be a statue of the goddess Iomedae. However, her sword isn't placed right. I wonder why? Tis be a fine looking sword too."
Norasha removes the sword and studies it.
"Maybe if you place it correctly, it will open a secret passage or something," Aisha half jokes.
Norasha laughed a bit at Aisha's cleverness.
"Not laughing at you lass. Laughing at myself. A dwarf should have seen such a clever trick, but ye suspected it before me. Ye got a clever mind there Aisha. Indeed you do. But still this be fine looking blade here. Masterly forged as well. Wonder why it wasn't properly placed right. Let me see if it opens a secret passage or anything. If it doesn't, and don't fret Aisha if no secret door opens up, as the fact that you suggested it before me rates ye very highly in my eyes, I think Rokar will find some use for it."
The dwarven paladin fits the sword firmly back into place to see what happens.
Corric (using his prior rolls for as long as he's able) stealthily moves further into the basement, being cautious for anything alive and holding something pointy.
Rokar follows, after drawing the sword back from the statue.
"No sense leaving this behind," he whispers.
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Following Rokar's directions about the scent, the group proceeds out the west passage. About 10 feet in, a side passage juts north and the west passage ends at a door. The scent leads north and Corric follows a short distance before silently calling for a halt. He can hear voices in the room ahead. A wooden portcullis is at the end of the corridor, but to get any closer would risk being seen, particularly if the party is carrying light (which they should be).
Rokar grabs a loose stone from the floor in the Statue room and casts Light on it. He tosses the rock to Corric as they prepare to leave the room, giving the group a means of seeing as they plan to advance further down the hall.
Further down the halls, Corric holds up a hand and Rokar comes to a stop, just behind him.
"What is it?" he whispers.
Norasha nods in agreement with Rokar's actions.
"Aye, good idea using a stone to light our way. Very effective too I might add."
The dwarven woman prepares her shield and axe following close behind Corric in case they ran into trouble.
"I hear voices. Can't go any further while we got that light, too risky, would probably be seen. No idea what they're saying though. Anyone got any ideas?"
"Hold up...be quiet for a moment and let me listen..." the dwarf whispered. She began to listen to the voices as best as she could...
and +8 scent
Rokar whispers back to Corric, "Pocket it for now friend, it'll only glow for twenty minutes or so...".
"Oh dear. That might be our culprit. Be careful."
Whispering, Norasha tells the others, "You hear that, Rokar? Looks like this place isn't abandoned. But they're speaking in Giant. I don't like this. Any ideas? Think we can lure them out and ambush them?"
Corric pockets the light, to further aid their stealth.
"If it wasn't all stone around here, we might be able to smoke them out," Coric whispers. "We could set some traps, but I don't have my usual materials to do so..."
He thinks for a bit.
"I'm fine with getting the jump on them if there's no other option."
"Either that or we bust down the door. It's so cramped in here, we might not be able to position for any real advantage..." Rokar says, recalling how powerless he'd felt during the rat attack a few minutes back.
"Hmm...maybe we can use this."
Corric points up at the portcullis, the wooden gate that was just waiting to come crashing down.
"Smoking them till they pass out is still an option, or topping them on that side is too. Well, until they either break it down or take another exit we don't know about..."