"That was the warden's name if I recall, wasn't it?"
Realization hits and Karrik scratches his head as h looks at the tools, the house, and the yard. "These tools have just been left out here. Either the owner is immensely lazy, or they had to rush off." He looks up at the group, "It stands to reason that these belonged to the warden's wife."
It's the warden's house, Lem says, looking up from his "exorcising". Could be some useful information in there, if we can check it out without it coming down on our heads. I'll volunteer, unless anyone has objections.
"I'll come with you," Theron says. "We should just be ready to retreat if we run into trouble, a fight in there could bring the building down on us." After that, the inquisitor casts a light spell on his bow.
Raj looks at the two armor-clad figures. "No offense, but monkeying around and climbing unstable structures ain't your strong suit. I'll go along as well."
Rose takes a look at the building. "I too would like to go. But the danger does exist of collapse, so I'll leave it to your judgment, Rajuna. I would prefer not to endanger any lives by my presence."
Inside, the house appears deserted. The front room is a sitting room; the couch has some sort of lichen growing on it. The floor is covered in dust, and the doors of the cabinets around the room all hang open. The house creaks ominously.
Make me some Stealth, Survival and Perception checks please.
Raj smiles, "I'm a curious cat, too. Tell ya what... let me and Lem walk in first, just to make sure the floor won't give way from rotted boards or whatnot. If it looks safe, you and Theron and anyone else can come in."
Raj snakes into the house, mindful to stay near the wall and step where the floorboards look supported. As an after-thought, before entering the decaying house, he holds up his favorite river rock for Rose's inspection, "Mind lightin' me?" He pays particular attention to her spellcasting.
Raj smiles, "I'm a curious cat, too. Tell ya what... let me and Lem walk in first, just to make sure the floor won't give way from rotted boards or whatnot. If it looks safe, you and Theron and anyone else can come in."
I know you're a bit skeptical, friend, but let me give you Desna's blessing. I can't make the house NOT collapse, but if it does, the timbers might fall in such a way so that we're only slightly squashed. Luck be with you. The priest's smile returns as he jests, then casts Virtue on Raj, then himself. Afterwards Lem nods, and walks through the doors, treading as lightly as possible.
I know you're a bit skeptical, friend, but let me give you Desna's blessing. I can't make the house NOT collapse, but if it does, the timbers might fall in such a way so that we're only slightly squashed.
Rajuna looks surprised. "I'm a firm believer in luck, Lem, and I'll take it where I can get it - with thanks. I just trust in good preparation more. I seen luck run out, but skill and wariness are good companions when luck decides to dance with some other fella."
Raj stops in the doorway and grins at Lem. "Yeah, I think luck is a woman... hence the phrase gettin' lucky." He glances at Rose and the smile comes off his face. "Your pardon, Miss Rose, for that off-color comment."
Lem chuckles at the comment, but keeps his concentration, looking for any signs of weakness in the ground or walls as he steps lightly.
Raj smiles, "I'm a curious cat, too. Tell ya what... let me and Lem walk in first, just to make sure the floor won't give way from rotted boards or whatnot. If it looks safe, you and Theron and anyone else can come in."
"I'll come in as well, I don't like the thought of you two going in by yourselves. Don't worry, I'm light on my feet."
Theron moves in behind Rajuna and Lem, treading carefully on the floor to avoid causing a collapse. He has his bow ready with a light spell cast on it.
Raj, Lem and Theron spend around two minutes or so carefully making their way around the sitting room, edging cupboard doors open, poking the couch cushions with weapons, and generally trying to see what they can find.
What they find is nothing.
The cupboards contain a couple of broken plates--good china, from the look of it. The couch doesn't erupt into taloned fury when poked. And the sideboard has little more in it than a couple of sheets of blank parchment and a dry inkwell.
The next room is the kitchen.
Feeling that something isn't quite right, Theron breaks the silence by casting Detect Magic. He quickly scans the current room before moving into the kitchen.
Raj gives Rose and the others a tentative thumb's up. Seeing Theron casting, the thief says, "Something wrong with the lichen on that chair?" Raj picks up the blank pages and runs his light stone near it - looking for any writing indentations.
As you move toward the kitchen, the house gives an extended creak, and the wall between the sitting room and the kitchen abruptly drops a couple of inches with a sharp crash as the roof beams finally prove too much weight, although it appears stable for now. Waving hands in front of faces to clear the swirling dust cloud, you enter the kitchen.
A wood-burning stove sits in the corner, its door wide open. The rest of the room is just as forlorn, with empty shelves, scuffed benches, and not even an iron pot in sight. Everything is covered with a thick patina of dust. The back door is visible through the dust, again, hanging open.
House sounds like its gonna come down! Get out!, shouts Dragomir.
Septimus puts a hand to his temple at the sound of the violently creaking house, but nods at Dragomir's assessment. "If any creatures had been waiting to ambush us, I think they would have done so by now..."
While waiting for the group to reassemble, Septimus picks a few of the non-native flowers that have overrun the garden of the ill-fated warden's house. He presses them into his formula book, making a mental note to examine them more closely later on.
"Something wrong with the lichen on that chair?"
"Just being careful... something's bothering me.
House sounds like its gonna come down! Get out!, shouts Dragomir.
Theron cringes at the yell, but decides that Dragomir is right: they need to get out. Theron heads for the open back door. "Let's go, it looks like this place has already been ransacked anyway."
Survival:
As Raj, bringing up the rear, makes his way out the back door, the house gives one more almighty creak...and the whole structure begins to collapse in on itself.
Raj, Theron and Lem, please make me a Reflex save, DC 10.
The folks out the front of the house are far enough away when it collapses that you don't need to worry about making saves. But you're not 100% sure whether your companions made it out.
Lem dives out of the house in the nick of time, somersaulting and, finally, standing. He picks up the aspergillum and looks around, checking to see if Raj and Theron made it out.
A board snaps under Theron's feet just as he's crossing the doorway, causing him to trip on his way out. He tries to scramble away from the building as it comes down, but a piece of wood comes flying down and glances off his leg.
Coughing because of the dust and muttering a curse or two, Theron stands up and inspects his wound. Luckily, it doesn't seem too bad..."I'm alright! How are you two?"
Raj emerges from the dust cloud spat from the collapsing building, the scarf of his burnoose covering his mouth and nose. He pulls it aside and wipes the dust from his eyes while surveying the damage.
"I hope the prison is in better shape or the haunts will be the least of our worries."
Nothin' busted apart from the house? Dragomir inquired, facing away from the wreckage, with his eyes sweeping around.
The scarred Varisian shakes his head. "Nah, just a little dust."
Rajuna pulls out his grappling hook and rope. He loops them diagonally over his chest, in preparation for the reconnaissance efforts on the two obvious upper stories areas.
After everyone dusts themselves off--it seems nobody is injured, thankfully--Raj heads toward the front doors, grappling hook in hand. He comes to a stop around thirty feet away, and looks up at the balcony speculatively.
The balcony is made of timber, supported by stone columns on the outside and heavy timber beams that you can see as exposed rafters in the ceiling of the foyer, visible through the fire-damaged front doors, which hang ajar. Aside from rubble, the only other thing you can see in the foyer is a pair of iron-bound oak doors opposite the entrance. They are firmly closed.
Just as Raj begins paying out enough rope to fling the grappling hook up to the balcony, Dragomir nudges him.
Dragomir peers up as Raj readies his equipment.
Friend, I'd say you're either likely pull that balcony down on us or have it come apart on someone halfway up... I figure Lem MAY be able to manage it but... , he frowns, he'd be up there alone. Not a great idea I'd say.
He thinks again.
Looks about as bad as that house.
Dragomir then goes back to scanning the area for threats.
Nothin' busted apart from the house? Dragomir inquired, facing away from the wreckage, with his eyes sweeping around.
To his surprise, Theron finds that aside from a slight scrape his leg seems completely fine. Odd, I guess I just got lucky.... wait, lucky? The inquisitor then remembers the blessing of Desna that Lem had given them. The realization that he had been protected by a god other than Iomedae disconcerts him a little. This was the first time he could think of that he could think of that he had really received help from a god other than Iomedae.
"I'm fine.... though it seems like I have Lem and Desna to thank for that," he says while gesturing towards Lem. His pride as an inquisitor is hurt a little, but he forces himself to ignore the feeling since he knows that Iomedae would not approve if thanks wasn't given where it was due.
Septimus frowns. "I suppose the spirits have haunted the wood and stone in absence of mortal victims."
He muses for a moment. "Perhaps this is a good thing to keep in mind should we find ourselves being chased out of here. We may want to consider rigging it to collapse. Yet my knowledge of buildings is generally limited to that which might live within them, not their creation and destruction."
Karrik nods at Septimus's observation, "Doesn't make me comfortable to think this could be used to trap us in, either." He shrugs, "Not that I can think of a manner of preventing such an outcome."
Friend, I'd say you're either likely pull that balcony down on us or have it come apart on someone halfway up... I figure Lem MAY be able to manage it but... , he frowns, he'd be up there alone. Not a great idea I'd say.
He thinks again.
Looks about as bad as that house.
The scarred Varisian swings the grapnel casually, assessing the situation. He punches the big warrior lightly on the shoulder in lieu of thanks. "Good eyes." He glances at Lem briefly in his resplendent armor, "I'm not likin' the idea of sending our healer up there. I could free climb that stone pillar and leave the balcony alone - shouldn't bring anything down except, possibly, me. Hmmm..."
The scowl on his face at the crumbling construction says it all. This is a damn death-trap. Raj slings the rope and grapnel back onto his shoulder and slides into the on-going conversation. "New plan, folks. Dragomir here leans lightly against one wall. After the building collapses, we sift the wreckage for crushed zombies and haunts. Sound good?"
Perhaps this is a good thing to keep in mind should we find ourselves being chased out of here. We may want to consider rigging it to collapse."
Theron shakes his head in disagreement. "We may be dealing with ghosts and other incorporeal beings that wouldn't be slowed down by a collapse."