As the party approaches the Plague House, Drosk studies the ground in an attempt to find any tracks that may indicate whether anyone has approached the ruin recently - and which entrance they may have used.
"Good idea, Drosk. I will focus on the side with the collapse."
Bormann moves to the side of the building with the collapsed wall and hole to look for recent traffic.
While the others check for tracks, Kranzer moves closer to the doors, checking for anomalies or traps. His hopeknife and shortsword are drawn.
Not noticing any tracks, Gnok tells Jocosa "you smell anything girl?" and the big cat starts to sniff around.
Bormann speaks in a low voice, "Nothing over there. Looks like just the footprints here out front. I am ready to follow them inside whenever you are." He then moves toward the front door, ready to throw it open no matter the potential danger on the other side.
"Aye, Drosk agrees with Bormann, speaking softly. "Looks like two sets of tracks going up to the front door - one set from Trunau, an' another from the opposite direction. Looks like we've got more than one villain to keep an eye out for," Drosk observes, drawing and loading his crossbow as he approaches behind Bormann.
Greta hangs back, still feeling out of her element in this murder mystery and disturbed by the events and their implications. She draws her mace and shield and keeps close to Drosk and Bormann as they head inside.
The Plague House’s front doors sit three feet above the ground. Charred wooden beams and ash are all that remains of a small porch and stairs that once led to the entrance. The small windows flanking either side of the doorframe are broken, but a large stained glass window dominating the face of the building to the right remains in fine shape, and shows a varicolored image of Iomedae holding her sword aloft.
Bormann pushes the heavy, oaken doors and they open easily enough but the loud creak of the hinges and the sound of the wooden door sliding against the floor sounds almost deafening in the stillness of the night. You see two double doors to the southeast and a single door in the northeast .
Drosk studies the floor beyond the double doors in an attempt to determine whether the tracks observed outside lead to either of the visible interior doorways.
Gnok surveys the floor in the front, and follows any tracks to the door that they went thru.
He signals Jocosa to follow closely.
Crouched low, even for a dwarf, Kranzer moves silently to the double doors, inspecting the hall for traps or other dangers as he goes.
You step through the doors you could swear you smell burning wood and, to your ears, the wind rushing through the ruined temple eerily sounds like many voices screaming.
Drosk and Gnok can faintly make out quite a few tracks that have come and gone in the ashes, dust, and soot on the floor. They bypass the doors and seem to make a southern turn .
Kranzer carefully creeps up to the double doors, gingerly checking the flooring for any differences in pressure. Finding none, He puts his ear to the door and could swear he hears the sounds of a mighty fire roaring and crackling and the 'screams' of the wind seem more intense.
Glancing down the hallway in the direction of the tracks, Drosk mutters the words of a spell. Stone seems to flow upward through the floor and encase the dwarf wizard in a suit of rocky armor, which becomes transparent after a couple of seconds.
"This ruin holds on to its memories, broods over its tragedies. Beware, it may lash out in malice." Bormann says, his voice at a low volume.
He then starts carefully moving down the hall, to see what may lurk around the corner.
Moving parallel with Bormann, Gnok and Jocosa head down the corridor to the intersection.
Greta moves after them, her grip on her mace tight and white-knuckled. "I'm not sure about disturbing a place with such memories." she murmurs to no one in particular.
Drosk follows his companions down the hallway, loaded crossbow held at the ready.
Kranzer moves silently up to the corner at the end of the hall and attempts to listen then peak around.
As you all make your way down the hallway the smell of burning wood and the sounds of painful screams assault your senses. You reach the corner and looking north and south you see the support walls and pillars that once connected the Plague House to the huge boulder behind it have burnt and crumbled in this ruined chamber, revealing nearly the entire face of the monolithic stone as well as much of the sky above. Jagged red runes have been painted onto the rock in long, broad strokes that reach from top to bottom. A cabinet on the southeast wall and a tall bookcase against the northeastern wall are all that remain of the room’s furnishings.
There is a door in the south and what appears to be a ruined staircase in the north.
As Gnok looks around, "R+B carved on the beam. Could that be Rodrik and his girls initials?"
While musing on the initials, he also notes, "the tracks continue to the south door. Shall we follow them Bormann?"
Drosk studies the orcish runes painted upon the rock face.
"'Skreed'. I wonder what that's supposed to mean..." Drosk muses aloud. The dwarf wizard casts a spell to reveal mystical auras and studies the runes to determine if they are magical in nature.
As Gnok looks around, "R+B carved on the beam. Could that be Rodrik and his girls initials?"
"'B' for Brinya. Makes sense," Drosk observes.
"Ye said the tracks go to the south door? Let's check it out."
Bormann nods his agreement. "Aye. The door. Get ready and I'll get it open." He then steps up to the door to get an idea of its condition and whether it looks heavy. He shifts his axe to one hand and grabs the door with his other, waiting for everyone to get ready in case there is trouble on the other side.
Kranzer eyes the door for traps like then, if he senses nothing, he puts away his dagger and shortsword and pulls out his shortbow and draws a bead on the door with an arrow.
Reacting instinctively, Bormann takes a step forward and with a snarl chops at the spider with his axe.
Greta stifles a yelp and swings her mace at the spider! for damage!
Kranzer let's an arrow fly at the spider. "Dwarf ain't on tha menu today!"
The spider does its best to descend on its meal, but some parts of the meal see her. One smacks her with a mace, another causes a huge gash with an axe while the third places an arrow in her. This meal will be difficult! the spider thinks to itself.
The spider tries to take a bite out of Bormann since he sliced her with his axe, but the pain from her wounds causes her to miss.
Gnok moves up to engage the spider and attacks the spider with his scimitar and misses badly.
Gnok moves up and tries to put the eight-legged creature out of its misery but his sword swings wide.
Bormann brushes off the spider's attack and answers with a swing from his axeblade.
Greta maces the spider once more! for damage!
Bormann's axe opens up another gash in the spider, but it is a blow from Greta's mace that brings the critter down.
Bormann spits, "Pah! That was a hardy bug. But not as hardy as dwarven steel and sinew. Shall we see what other horrors await us?"
Gnok calls Jocosa to his side. "Sorry girl. Nothing left for you to do. Maybe next time."
He then waits for Kranzer to check out the door but he listens also.
Kranzer lets his shoulders relax again and blows out a sigh, breath starting to gather a vein of rancidness to it. "Jus the kinda fight I like, one where I ain't gotta do much."
"Gimme a minute, maybe whoever's 'ere was usin' that thing as a guardian. Might be more traps about."
He takes his time with the door, looking for the slightest hint of a trip wire or pulley. At the same time, he listens to see what's on the other side.
...A cabinet on the southeast wall and a tall bookcase against the northeastern wall are all that remain of the room’s furnishings.
Drosk lowers his crossbow as his companions dispatch the giant spider, and glances around the room again as Kranzer examines the southern door. "Here, now. I wonder if there's anythin' in that cabinet? Kranzer, would ye mind checkin' it for traps as well? If Rodrik's killer is skulkin' about, I wouldn't put it past him to leave some booby-traps behind to throw off anyone investigatin'," Drosk suggests as he moves to examine the bookcase.
"Look here on the bookshelf. Rodrik's engraved hopeknife," Drosk announces to his companions without touching the weapon. "An' a gold coffer hidden in this secret cubby behind the bookshelf." The dwarf wizard casts a minor cantrip to reveal magical auras and studies the hopeknife and the gold coffer without touching either item. "Kranzer, would ye mind checkin' this coffer for traps as well?"
"Sure thing. I got'ya covered."
Kranzer is fairly certain that the door is not trapped when he hears Drosk ask him to take a look at the cabinet. He walks over to the run-down cabinet and thinks no one would trap such a sorry piece of furniture. He pulls open the door.
"Hmm, lemme take a taste 'a that vial. Might be able ta tell what it is."
Kranzer takes his thumb and tries to force it down the neck of the glass, but after a second or two and seeing his thumb to be too fat to accomplish the goal, he takes his pinky and dips it into the liquid instead, bringing out a dollop of the stuff to bring to his lips.
After, Kranzer moves wordlessly into position beside the door, ready to peak inside or fling it open when someone gives the command.
Drosk opens the gold coffer to see if anything is inside.
"Rodrik's engraved knife? With the job complete? It looks like Urnsul may have come here after all. But did she leave it here because it could incriminate her? Why not do something more permanent to destroy it? I do not understand this."