I'll head back and get Hrothgar, lead him back to the door and quietly explore the next room searching through the shelves barrels for anything useful.
Hrothgar lets you know that there is something I there that he wants to attack/play with. He moves quietly to a specific point near the barrels.
I draw my swords and move cautiously over to the barrels to have a closer look...
You hear a small scratching sound and see a flash of brown fur darting between the barrels. Hrothgar growls low, and the (regular) rat panics; it runs out, sees the wolf, then aims for the nearest thing it can use to hide - your left leg.
I'll swipe at it as it runs at me. Not wanting to deal with a rat running up my trousers...
You cut this single rat in half. You've got a bad feeling about this...
There is an eruption of whiskers and squeaks and fur and scratching as the floor around you floods with rats from behind all the barrels.
Kalenth swipes at the swarm with his swords and lets out a curse under his breath
The rats continue to pour out from behind the barrels, their sheer number seem to render your slashing weapon less-useful, though the room is now splattered with hundreds of rat-halves. Yet still they come.
Kalenth and Hrothgar both take damage from the biting rats. Hence, both need to make Fort saves DC 12 vs
Rat swarm Dmg: 14
Hrothgar bounds about snapping at the rats.
Kalenth grits his teeth and keeps flailing his swords about.
Hrothgar leaps into the fray, biting, tearing, clawing, stomping and kicking at the rat swarm. They scatter and hide under the fury of the wolf, and Kalenth once again finds himself with weapons drawn and nothing to hack...
Kalenth crouches next to Hrothgar. "Good boy!" he says in a hushed voice, ruffling the wolf's head.
There is a double door to the south, currently closed.
I light a torch and hold it aloft.
I'll do a quick search of the barrels. Then I'll head for the double doors for a listen.
Stone floor. Lots of dust.
The torch helps you to see that there is nothing of value remaining in the room. Hrothgar appreciates the light.
With your ear on the door you can hear a clattering noise, like kids throwing rocks at a snake in the canyon. You also hear the muttering and cursing of a gnoll (or maybe an Aasimar cursing in the gnoll tongue) between stones clatter.
Hrothgar looks at you expectantly.
I'll place the torch on the floor, draw my Longsword and with my left hand swing the door open.
Dust and particulate matter fly into the air as pieces of rubble and debris fly from the southern hallway. Five feet into the hallway, a dirty gnoll is working on the debris, cursing and muttering as he works.
With the sudden light he pauses in his work, then looks about startled. One eye is wide with surprise, the other almost closed through recent bruising. He stands there paralysed with fear. His mouth opens and closes as though he wants to speak.
I leap forward drawing my shortsword and aiming a slice with my Longsword at his torso.
Hrothgar leaps to the attack too
With great hatred you hack your longsword through most of his torso. The gnoll slumps noiselessly to the left into a pool of his own blood and urine.