Kranzer looks back at the others. His eyes fall on Bormann.
He whispers, "We got company 'ere. Might be somethin', squeaks." He places a hand on the door handle. "You ready?"
"Ready" responds Gnok, scimitar in hand. He and Jocosa move up to just behind Bormann as the door swings open.
Bormann nods at Kranzer's whisper, readies his axe, and steps up to take the fore and open the door.
Greta stands firm, watching the others, but keeping a wary eye and a hand on her mace.
Kranzer gives a nod to Bormann and steps out of the way. Bormann steps up and opens an iron door that connects this small stone extension to the Plague House’s main building. A large steel lockbox sits in front of a steep stone staircase that winds down into darkness. Three huge rats are in the stairwell.
Rat @ Q10
Jocosa bounds up to between two of the rats and tries to bite the rat by itself, but misses.
As Jocosa enters the room licking her chops, she tries to bite one of the rats but misses. The rats are excited that dinner has come to them and two of them, their beady, little eyes focused on the huge cat, tries to bite her paws. One of them misses, but one succeeds.
Feeling the bite of the rat, Jocosa shakes off the disease ridden beast.
"Hah! Rats. Admirable boldness in disgusting form. They've bit off more than they can chew." Bormann says as he steps in behind Jocosa, He aims a low chop at the rat on his left.
Kranzer rushes into the room with his short blades at the rat that didn't attack Jacosa.
"Tha vermin smell worse than the Ramblehouse's bedsheets!"
As the room is getting crowded, Gnok lets Jocosa have her fun, and keeps an eye on the stairway in case something comes up.
Greta steps diagonally and strikes the rat nearest her. for damage!
Edit! for an additional damage!
"Praise Bolka! May the vermin fall before our onslaught!"
Round One:
Drosk fires his crossbow at one of the dire rats flanking Jocosa , and then reloads his weapon.
Jocosa lets out a low growl after being bit as Kranzer rushes into the stairwell. He tries to stab a rat with his hopeknife but misses. Bormann next enters the fray and tries to bring his axe down on a rat, but he too misses. Drosk takes careful aim with his crossbow and shoots a bolt dead center into a rat blowing it backwards. Gnok keeps an eye out for other foes while his companion fights her natural enemy. Greta takes her mace, reaches around the corner, and brings it firmly down on the head of another rat killing it instantly.
Jocosa, roars at the dire rat and claws the critter.
Jocosa with a roar brings her paw down on the rat. she plays with it for a few seconds before one of her claws nicks an artery and the rat bleeds out quickly. She then carries the carcass over to Gnok.
Bormann steps warily to the top of the stairs, peering down into the gloom. He listens for the sound of anything below that might have been alerted to their presence thanks to the fight with the rats.
"Good girl" says the dwarf to his friend as she brings the carcass of the dire rat to him. "Leave it here and we can clean it up later."
When Bormann heads to the stairs and looks down, Gnok backs him up and listens for any noise down there.
"Well, do we let Kranzer check it out first, or do we just head down the stairs?" Gnok asks the group.
Bormann adds his 2 coppers, "I think we should finish looking about up here first. We do not want to be cornered wherever the stairs lead with immediate danger behind us as well as in front. We will explore here soon enough."
Replying to Bormann, "yea, that might be best. Kranzer, can you check the double doors right here" and he points to the doors just behind the group.
Bormann steps up and opens an iron door that connects this small stone extension to the Plague House’s main building. A large steel lockbox sits in front of a steep stone staircase that winds down into darkness...
Kranzer, can you check the double doors right here"
"Aye, an' maybe check out this large steel lockbox as well," Drosk adds, casting a cantrip to reveal magical auras as he studies the steel lockbox from a distance himself.
"Ya got it cousins!"
Kranzer peers at the doors and the lockbox. He also keeps a watchful eye on the stairs.
Kranzer tries once to pick the lock on the lockbox, but also says, "Someone's screamin' in there. Best hurry."
The lock on the lockbox proves tough but not impossible as after a few seconds Kranzer hears a click and smiles. He opens the box and finds a potion and two scrolls.
"Screams? Is someone else here? Or more of the ruin's own memories?" Bormann asks nobody in particular as he takes a listen at the door himself.
As Kranzer and Bormann investigate the double doors, Drosk takes a moment to attempt to identify the recently discovered magical items.
"Here now, one of the flasks from the cabinet holds a potion of the Shield of Faith spell. This potion from the lockbox is a potion of Invisibility, an' this scroll holds the Barkskin spell. I can't make out what these other items are, though," Drosk announces to his companions.
"Someone screaming. Get that door open and lets go." Gnok and Jocosa stand next to the door ready to enter after Bormann opens it.
As Bormann opens the door he sees two rows of scorched, wrought-iron bed frames that take up most of the space in this soaring chamber, resting between a fire-blackened altar to the southwest and double doors to the northeast. A second set of double doors leads to the northwest, and a single iron door exits the chamber to the southeast. Brightly colored holy figures stare down from the stained-glass windows built into the blackened stone walls, their visages noticeably less damaged than the rest of the room. Even though there is no evidence of an active fire, the smell of burning wood and flesh is heavy in the air. The room is eerily quiet.
"This place fills me with unease. I don't think the spirits here rest easily." Greta grips her mace and shakes her head, slowly.
"So this is where the fire killed the plague victims and their healers. It hardly seems to make sense, that a fire might kill so many in a building like this," he says as he enters.
"It looks like there is one more chamber for us to investigate before we take the stairs. So we should not tarry here too long."
"Agreed, let us go on to the next room quickly, then downstairs."
Brightly colored holy figures stare down from the stained-glass windows built into the blackened stone walls, their visages noticeably less damaged than the rest of the room.
Standing outside the opened doorway, Drosk's eyes narrow as he studies the strangely less-damaged stained-glass windows. "I wonder why they're in such better condition than the rest of the place?" he muses aloud as he casts a cantrip to reveal magical auras.
"Aye, next room I think."
Kranzer creeps toward the next room, looking for anything out of place.
"Yes, next room, but we will need to come back and search this whole place quite thoroughly when we are done."
Kranzer walks carefully to the next room and besides the general eeriness of the place, sees nothing out of the ordinary. He listens at the door and not hearing anything, gives Bormann the 'Okay'. You see a corridor that looks like it turns to the left.
Waiting for Bormann to lead the way in, then Gnok and Jocosa will fall in behind him.
Kranzer takes his time to sneak into the corridor to the bend to scout it out. He's got his hopeknife and shortsword out and ready.
Bormann gives Kranzer a head start and chance to survey the area from the corner before starting out down the short corridor. He keeps his eye on the dwarf ahead of him, ready to rush to his aid if attacked by something like the rats or spider.
Kranzer sneaks down the corridor with Bormann, Gnok, Jocosa, Greta, and Drosk keeping a safe distance behind. As he turns the corner, Kranzer sees that most of this room is in shambles, and the western wall has collapsed in a heap of rubble. A staircase to the northeast leads to a wooden loft upstairs; the area beneath the loft is filled with fallen beams, jumbled bricks, and other debris.
"The loft would be a good place for a creature to lair, like another one or more of those spiders. Let me lead the way," Bormann says as he sets foot on the stairs and begins to climb.
"Following ya boss." and Gnok and Jocosa steps up behind Bormann and begins to climb the stairs with him.
"Aye," Drosk agrees, hefting his loaded crossbow as he follows his companions.
As Bormann steps onto the stairs, two huge centipedes crawl from below the stairs and move next to you as their surprise action.