Eldbale's The Dragon's Demand

Game Master Brominate

"huh?"

The cleric sees the rogues confusion.

"Heh heh, no no, not your leather sap. A sapper is a worker or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties such as breaching fortifications, bridge-building, laying or clearing defenses, and preparing field defenses."

"Or in this case to sapper, to undermine, to dig under a wall or building to cause its collapse. At least I hope its some sort of humanoid, I don't want to encounter a beast who can bore a tunnel that size."

"Kane, can you look around too? There has to be a way into the cage, unless there is a lever system at work, or breaching the room caused the rods to come up or something."

"Maybe you could work on a spell of "summon benevolent rust-monster"."

He looks back at the hole to make sure they aren't taken by surprise.

"Yantri, I could use you eyes and that widow maker, whoops I mean musket over here. Whatever made this tunnel might still be down here."

Yantri makes her way into the room and peers around, her frown showing more confusion than displeasure this time. "I don't get it. They wouldn't need to lock up things they were keeping from the prisoners in such a secure location, and hiding their own treasure behind the cells so they'd have to walk through them doesn't make sense. What's this room supposed to be for?"

The dwarf begins to make a careful look for any signs of recent occupation. "Anyone who has been in here recently didn't disturb the dust in the areas behind us, so if they breached this area in the recent past they didn't explore further. It might mean that they knew this area was here and this was their target. If so we should be able to find signs of their presence."

Surivival or Perception as applicable for finding tracks of anyone passing through the area recently: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

As she looks she nods at Sheridan's puzzle thoughts. "There's bound to be some trick for getting to those chests, whether they're worth our time or not. Let's make sure we can't see any reason not to bother with them before we try though, right?"

"Eh, I suppose it could be a mausoleum too. Are they burial caskets? "

Stone investigates the tunnel, and there is a small amount of air flow. Unfortunately, his training isn't completely exhaustive, and the dirt tells him nothing about how recently this hole might have been made.

But there's something else. Something you can't quite name. It's almost as if your unconscious mind is trying to say something to your conscious mind. But it registers as nothing more than a very mild ringing in your ears or dull ache behind the eyes.

In the floor are two slots. One to the east of the cage walls barring access to what lie in the chests, and another to the west. Each looks to be a couple of inches across. Your eyes meet Yantri's. It's obvious she has seen them too.

Yantri, you are feeling a mixture of anxiety and relief. Relief because you've finally found a room where there are signs of recent activity. Anxious for the same reasons. Someone or something has done lots and lots of pacing and walking in this room. You see telltale signs of the tracks, but you don't know how many pairs of feet made those tracks.

Then everyone hears a dull *thump*

*thump*

Followed by a long groan.

Stone's mind finally catches up to him. He had heard footsteps coming from the tunnel. And they were getting closer!

Everyone looks toward the tunnel to see a humanoid with long sharp teeth and pallid flesh that seemed stretched tight over its frame.

Bold may act: Kane, Sheridan, Stone, Yantri, Creature

It heads straight for the cleric, swinging his nasty claws!

Claw 1: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 + Paralysis
Fortitude Stone: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Claw 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22 Hit!
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 + Paralysis
Fortitude Stone: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 fail
Paralysis: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 rounds.

Stone dodges the first claw easily enough but wasn't prepared for its second to come from the side like a haymaker, slashing his face. His attempted dodge was almost successful. But "almost", life has taught him, is another word for "failure." The claw barely scratched him...but his body immediately froze up. He couldn't move!

Stone is Paralyzed for two rounds.

A paralyzed creature cannot move, speak, or take any physical action. He is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless.

Not even friends can move his limbs. He may take purely mental actions, such as casting a spell with no components. A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it becomes paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer can't swim and may drown.

bold may act:

Stat Tracker
Global Condition: None |

Global Condition:
Kane HP: 12/12 - AC: 12/12/10 Status:
Sheridan HP: 8/10 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Stone HP: 8/10 - AC: 16/12/14 Status: Paralyzed (helpless, mute) 2 rds
Yantri HP: 9/11 - AC: 16/13/13 Status:

NPCS:
Creature HP:? AC?

Sheridan lunges forward, turning as he gains momentum. The rubble proves little obstacle as he skips from stone to stone. Slipping a mithral dagger from his belt, the ifrit flings it underhand at the creature harrying Stone.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
I think the DC is +5 for rubble, and +5 for attempting to move at full speed.
Dagger Throw: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
le sigh~

Yantri brings her raises her musket to fire and moves up to the edge of the rubble. Taking careful aim she doesn't flinch at all at the thunderous clap Penance produces.

Musket attack vs Touch AC: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19 There's probably some cover there as well.
Damage (B and P): 1d12 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Kane blinked as he looked up from his inspection, before seeing Stone seize up from the attack! "STONE!" No, not another ally! Kane stalked towards the creature, weapon in hand as he glared the beast down. The runes on his axe began to glow bright blue, before he took the head and slammed it into the ground.

A circle of strange symbols spread out across the floor around Kane, before he put his fingers in his mouth. "*WHISTLE!* Hey! Over here! Let's see you break through me!" Kane shouted, confident that between his prior remaining magics and his new defensive barrier, the creature would throw its weight needlessly at him while the others positioned themselves. He glanced towards Sheridan, nodding for him to slip in and strike from behind.

I'm assuming that my Mage Armor is still active, so, taking a move action to move about 10 feet from the monster, and a full defense action to bring my total AC up to 18. Hopefully, that'll keep it busy. Also not sure which knowledge check it needs, but I'm guessing it's an aberration? So, Kn. Dungeoneering, I think.
Kn. Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

...it's the most violent sheep I've ever seen!

Yantri - with your shot we have a couple things; the creature has some cover (+4 to AC) and since it was attacking Stone, you're firing into melee (-4 to attack roll). And I couldn't find anywhere that says these things wouldn't stack, so I'm including them. (If you show me something that says only one should apply, it might change the outcome of your turn. Otherwise, your new Touch Attack roll is 15. It just barely misses.

Yantri shoots but, without a clear shot, the bullet barely misses, whizzing past its shoulder.

Kane, move yourself up to 30ft, or let me know which square you're ending in. I don't think there's a way for you to get that close, though.

The creature hears the wizard's whistle and his eyes refocus on Kane.

Bold may act:
Kane, Sheridan, Stone, Yantri, Creature

Stone, do you have any magic that doesn't require any components?

Stat Tracker
Global Condition: None |

Global Condition:
Kane HP: 12/12 - AC: 12/12/10 Status: mage armor (AC18)
Sheridan HP: 8/10 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Stone HP: 8/10 - AC: 16/12/14 Status: Paralyzed (helpless, mute) 2 rds
Yantri HP: 9/11 - AC: 16/13/13 Status:

NPCS:
Creature HP:? AC?

Stone is struck still and mute, but his mind remains conscious and his will to fight to the last burns in his eyes.

He bids his God’ gifted power to surge forth from him and it unleashes itself in a 30 foot radius burst. A red tinged blue aura lances outward bathing the room in its holy glory. The Grace of the Heavens heals the injured and sears the undead!

Ragathiel does not leave his servant or his companions defenseless.

1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 Will DC 11 to take 1/2 damage for the ghoul

I apologize in advance for this!
Still as solid rock, Stone channels and unleashes the positive energy to heal his allies and, hopefully, harm this abomination.

Will: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 5 + 2 = 19

Unfortunately, it seems unaffected.

Round 2

Its attention is scattered as it looks at the everyone attempting to harm it or yelling at it. But its eyes land on the frozen victim in front of him. Easy prey.
(Because Stone is helpless, -5 is his Dex mod, and attacker gets +4)

Bite: 1d20 + 3 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 4 = 11 Hit!
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 + disease + paralysis

The creature takes a bite out of the cleric's shoulder, and while the pain is intense, not a sound, flinch, or tear escapes from Stone.
Then the creature thrusts both claws, digging them into his chest!
Claw 1: 1d20 + 3 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 4 = 11 Hit!
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 + paralysis
Claw 2: 1d20 + 3 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 4 = 15 Hit!
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 + paralysis
Fortitude Stone vs paralysis DC 13: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16 Success! Paralysis not extended.
Fortitude Stone vs paralysis DC 13: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 Fail. Paralysis extended for 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 rounds

While still frozen in place, the force knocks the cleric on his back, though his limbs are stuck in the position they were in prior to being slashed at. 14 points of damage. Paralyzed for 6 rounds. Stone is unconscious and bleeding out.

Bold may act:
Kane, Sheridan, Stone, Yantri, Creature

Stone's turn: make a Con check at a -4 penalty. DC 10. Success: You stabilize and are no longer dying. Failure: lose 1 hp.

Stat Tracker
Global Condition: None |

Global Condition:
Kane HP: 12/12 - AC: 12/12/10 Status: mage armor (AC18)
Sheridan HP: 10/10 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Stone HP: -4/10 - AC: 16-5/12/14-5 Status: Paralyzed (helpless, mute) 6 rds; Unconscious, dying
Yantri HP: 11/11 - AC: 16/13/13 Status:

NPCS:
Creature HP:? AC?

"We need to stay away from those claws and bite if we can. If you can hit it from range, do so. Make it waste it's time coming to us. We need to see to Stone but we need this dead first."

Yantri scowls at the creature as she reloads her musket fires another round. With Stone down there's little left to block a clean shot this time.

Musket attack vs. Touch AC: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Damage (B and P): 1d12 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

I'll take a 5 foot step to the west if I can to try to make sure that the tunnel's not providing it any cover. Other than that, a move action to reload and an action to fire.

I'm prone now so it shouldn't be blocking her shot at least!
Also the ghoul should have taken at least 2 hp from the burst since it made it's save.

As the pain receded, the cleric simply known to the party as Stone realizes wounds are causing him to slip away into darkness. The faint sensations of pins and needles form over his body and each pick grows less intense as the world grows darker.

His last conscious emotion is regret.

No! Not yet, not like this! I made it all the way through, I earned my place, then I made it all the way here . . . if this is it then I will die without ever having found out. I can't see. Oh Lord! Ragathiel! . . . may your wings cover me in your light

Fort: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Sheridan strafes the ghoul, positioning himself opposite Kane, should the creature make its advance, and drawing the second dagger from his belt to pair with his sap. "Have I mentioned I'm more of a people-person?" Uncertain, and fearful of Stone's condition, Sheridan holds off on antagonizing the creature further, hoping he can dodge any claws that might come his way.

Total Defense: AC should be 21

Kane hurried forward and whistled again, before planting his axe into the mess of rubble beneath him and extending a field of protective magic around him and the others. "Yantri! Draw it this way! Sheridan, see if you can maneuver behind it! I'll keep it busy once it closes in!"

Moving up next to Yantri and using my Protective Ward ability to give everyone a +1 Deflect bonus!

Your cleric is unconscious but stable, and paralyzed for the next six rounds. (Stone, you are correct, thanks).

Yantri finds herself a better vantage point with a quick hop and a aptly-timed bum-busting cleric. Her shot hits him right in the shoulder, causing a sudden guttural wail to escape the mouth of the recipient.

But it quickly forgets its pain as its eyes rest on the closest intruder, the one with hair like fire. The ghoul stepped forward, nearly stomping on Stone's body in the process. He swung a wild haymaker at Sheridan.

Claw: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 + paralysis

But perhaps the shot to the shoulder had thrown the creature off its rhythm, or maybe credit should be given where credit is due to Sheridan who had proven himself to be nimble and quick-footed. In any case, the creature missed the Ifrit.

Bold may act:
Kane, Sheridan, Stone, Yantri, Creature

Stat Tracker
Global Condition: None |

Global Condition:
Kane HP: 12/12 - AC: 12/12/10 Status: mage armor (AC18)
Sheridan HP: 10/10 - AC: 17/13/14 Status: Total Defense (AC21)
Stone HP: -4/10 - AC: 16-5/12/14-5 Status: Paralyzed (helpless, mute) 5 rds; Unconscious, Stablized
Yantri HP: 11/11 - AC: 16/13/13 Status:

NPCS:
Creature HP:-7 AC? (TAC:14)

Kane stepped up to put the ghoul in between him and Sheridan, readying his axe and taking a mighty swing at the ghoul. "Sheridan, now!"

If I've got the map in my head right, five foot step to get into flanking with Sheridan, and attacking with my axe!

Battleaxe: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 + 2 = 181d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

I've moved Kane on the map to where I think flanking would be. It's kind of cluttered right there with walls and debris, so hopefully that will do.

Yantri watches the others move into positions to try to take advantage of gaps in the creatures defenses as she slides one more alchemical cartridge into the barrel of her musket. With the three combatants now closely engaged finding the right opening is harder, but the dwarf takes careful aim, closes a little more and waits for the right shot.

I'm going to hold my shot until after Sheridan makes his attack. If he hits and kills the ghoul then that's great (assuming that Kane didn't already.) If after his attack the ghoul is still alive I'll make the following attack (posting now to save time later.)

Musket Attack vs. Touch AC: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Damage (B and P): 1d12 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Well, I hope Sheridan did the job it looks like!

Spinning out of the way of an errant claw, Sheridan kicks off of the pillar behind him and brings his sap down on the creature's head and shoulder. His skin flares, his hair trails behind him like the tail of a comet, and the ifrit lets out a roar like a backdraft.

Sneak Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
It's possible TAC and AC are the same, right? The ghoul isn't wearing armor, right? Right? T.T Inspired only works on skill checks. Don't suppose it's been less than a minute since I triggered Reduce Person?
Non-lethal Damage: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (6, 1) + 2 = 9
Intimidate: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
If this is successful (or, for that matter, applicable) I'll choose to Frighten the creature for 1 round, and hold my breath for those clutch attacks of opportunity.

Kane takes a large step and swings his battleaxe where it lands directly in the back of the ghoul's noggin, who lets out one rasp of a groan before falling forward, destroyed. Sheridan is spry enough to leap out of the way.

COMBAT OVER!

All of a sudden, the room was quiet again.

Stone will be paralyzed for about another minute. The positions of his limbs and various body parts cannot be moved/bent/changed/influenced during that time. Oh. And he's also unconscious. But stable.

Yantri closes the rest of the distance to Stone, pushing the creatures feet off the body of the cleric. Putting her hand by his mouth she does feel a faint breath in and out despite the lack of obvious movement. The tension doesn't fully leave her shoulders, but she does let you an audible breath of her own.

"He's alive at least. Do either of you know anything about cleaning and binding wounds? Uncle Groltorn never let me look at his to learn that particular art. I'm worried about the bite mark in particular, but I fear for infection in all of them."

As she speaks, Yantri looks around to take stock of the situation.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

As she glaces at the creature she sees that it had sustained wounds previous to this engagement.

"Stay sharp, someone else has been at this before we had our chance. Don't know that we can count on the enemy of our enemy being a friend. If they're even still alive that is."

Looking around at the dwindling group, Yantri shakes her head, frustrated. "I think we need to do what we can for Stone before we do anything else. I'm going to cover that tunnel and make sure I can see the thing's trail, but if either of you can do anything here, please do."

Survival to identify the find recent tracks in the tunnel: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"That would explain why he went down so quickly... but that's good to know. So long as he's alive, he can recover."

Kane knelt down next to Stone as he pulled out a book and flipped through it. "Field Medical Practices for Extended Expeditions: A Practical Primer". Checking over his patient, Kane did his best to try and aid Stone in his recovery, though being more a linguist than a field medic, he wasn't terribly certain in his skills. "Some practical aid would be helpful. I confess I'm better at books than bandages..."

Heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Sighing as he looked between the book and Stone, he shook his head. This wasn't working... luckily, he always came prepared. Sifting through his bag, Kane rummaged about before pulling out a bottle of red liquid labeled "Curative". "Always come prepared... though I thought I had more of these. Note to self: make a trip to the local pharmacy on our return." Popping the cork, Kane leaned Stone up and placed the bottle to his lips, easing the liquid down his throat once the paralysis wore off. "This will at least treat his wounds. As for the other effects... we'd best see a physician on our return."

Potion of CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Sheridan grumbles as the creature sags to the floor. Maybe it was the stale air of this basement prison-crypt, but he was feeling off his game. He walks to the corner of the room to retrieve the thrown dagger. To Yantri's observation, he replies, "Hopefully it's something with some reason."

Scuffing a soft-toed boot on the stone floor, Sheridan sulks over by the symbol by the bars in the hopes of returning to his original task of getting the goodies out of boxes.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Once the cleric's body is "pliable" again, Kane props him up and carefully pours the potion down Stone's gullet. Slowly, he begins to stir, then he opens his eyes. Stone is now awake, regaining 9 hp and no longer paralyzed.

To get an idea of the size of key he's looking for, Sheridan probes the nearby slot with the dagger he still has in hand. If it does not turn out that the daggers are the keys, he'll pull out the key ring and get to lock picking.
Disable Device: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

The mithral dagger fits into the hole as if it were made for it. It clicks into place and you feel that wonderfully familiar thrill of tumblers opening to make way for the dagger-key.

"Yes!" Sheridan pulls the second dagger from his belt. "Someone want to stick this in the other end? I want to turn these at the same time."

Yantri watches Kane pour the potion down Stone's throat from the corner of her eyes. When Stone sputters back to conciousness she nods, "Good to see you back with us Brother Stone. You can thank Kane there for being prepared. Just so everyone knows, it looks like there are kobold tracks heading off to a larger cave beyond here. If you want to figure out those chests you're welcome to, but I'm going to keep Penance here trained on the tunnel while you do it. I don't know if we're going to run into live kobolds for the first time shortly, but if we do, I think we would be unwise to assume they'll be friendly."

Kane smiled, gathering his things back in his pack and standing up. "A benefit to working in the field over a packed library; you learn the lessons firsthand." he replied, before stepping over and offering to take the other dagger from Sheridan.

"A wise decision, Miss Yantri. I will help Master Sheridan unlock this mechanism, collect anything worth our troubles, and be right with you." Kane agreed, before placing the dagger into the other slot. "Master Sheridan? When you're ready, on 3?"

Kane and Sheridan turn the daggers simultaneously, and the ceiling-to-floor iron cage lowers down into the floor, leaving the seven black iron chests. Each one is locked and the keys are long since been lost.

Sheridan eagerly begins work on the nearest chest. He first tries the skeleton key before starting on the tumblers with a pick and pry.
Disable Device: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

The cleric sits up.

"Well I guess it wasn't time for me to join the War in the Heavens yet."

He makes the sign of the wings and looks around for his dropped crossbow.

"I had my bow up and ready, but this thing was on me before I could get one off."

He looks over the other members.

"You all look unscathed. Good work."

The cleric touches Sheridan's shoulder.

"Thank you."

The cleric sits up.

"Well I guess it wasn't time for me to join the War in the Heavens yet."

He makes the sign of the wings and looks around for his dropped crossbow.

"I had my bow up and ready, but this thing was on me before I could get one off."

He looks over the other members.

"You all look unscathed. Good work."

The cleric touches Sheridan's shoulder.

"Thank you."

[ooc]When he does so, Sheridan feels a surge of confidence. Guidance giving him a +1 to his skill rolls.[/b]

"Heh, so the daggers are also keys then. Interesting. I will detect for magic."

Stone will also check over the ghoul carefully and say some prayers for the departed.

Yantri's attention is focused on the tunnel, but when the bars slide down she briefly turns back to watch and nod. As she turns back towards the tunnel she sees Sheridan moving towards the chests. Having learned that the Ifrit's attention is prone to wander she calls out a reminder. "Nice work there with the bars, but don't forget to check the chests for traps before you start poking at the locks."

After a couple of minutes of work, Sheridan picks the locks and opens all of the chests. He finds piles and piles of copper, silver, gold, and even a few platinum coins. One chest held a teak case containing 30 gems.
Loot:
18,500 cp
4,000 sp
115 gp
14 pp
Total coin value: 840 gp
Teak case w/ 30 gems, together worth 800 gp
Grand total: 1640 gp

After the haul is collected and distributed (unless someone doesn't want that to happen), everyone eventually joins Yantri by the carved out tunnel. A pair of low barricades made of timbers and rocks partially block the passageway, which opens into a larger cave beyond.

"Good to have you back, Sarge." Sheridan smiles and glances over to Kane. "It was touch and go for a moment, but we managed to hold our ground."

Feeling much better about the day, and only vaguely aware that anything bad has happened, Sheridan helps portion out the treasure, keeping his share light by stuffing a platinum and half of the gems into his bedroll. "Looks like the daggers go with this hoard... I imagine the duchess would have mentioned a hoard of this size if she had any legitimate claim to it, and I think it's pretty clear the true owner wished it stay a secret. Let's see that wish fulfilled, yeah?"

Being a conscientious adventurer, Sheridan leaves the chests wide open before attempting to retrieve the daggers.

Kane blinked at the horde, admittedly a little in awe. Yes, he came from nobility, but he often didn't see it arrayed before him quite like this. "That was... quite the collection. Yes, ah... yes, I believe typically, legal matters regard this as a 'finder's perk', in that unclaimed property discovered under contracted work in dangerous conditions are often distributed as seen fit by the finder. In this case, we are such finders."

Kane helped gather the resources up, before returning and peering down the tunnel, spying the barricades. Interesting... Kane tried to assess just how recent and well constructed they were. It's possible that the ghoul's recent injuries came from whoever built that blockade... and it's entirely possible that the ones who built that barricade were kobolds.

Kn. Engineering: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Sheridan distributes the find. He and Kane both agree that this treasure belongs to the party and there's no need to report it to the baroness.

Sheridan leaves the chests opened before taking the daggers out. Once the first one is removed, the cage rises out of the floor, up to the ceiling. Sheridan then also grabs the other dagger.

"Between the side of the blockade and the recent construction of the tunnel, I do believe we have found the location of our little troublemakers. Everyone be on your guard." Kane said, readying his axe. "Sheridan, perhaps you can creep in quietly enough to not alert them and see what's going on? Yantri, keep your weapon trained."

Yantri does keep her musket trained on the tunnel as she speaks. "Sneaking in isn't a bad idea at all, but I wasn't exactly quiet with my musket in that last fight. I'd imagine that if there are any kobolds in that next cavern they already know that we're coming. That they haven't shown up yet to see what the noises on our end were about probably means that they're hiding to wait to see who sneaks in and thus alert, they turned and ran at our advance, or that they were already taken out by the creature here. It did tangle with them, or someone before us at least, and it seemed capable of doing some non-trivial damage on it's own."

Sheridan looks at Kane like a deer at an oncoming carriage. "Uh, sure?" He moves to the front of the group, gripping his sap, and takes a deep breath. "Quietly..."
Stealth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

The ifrit moves up around the blockades, practically holding his breath.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Sheridan, in an uncharacteristically quiet fashion, creeps up to the first barricade and begins to climb over. He then sees something reflecting off the light from Stone's torch-bright pendant. He freezes. It looked like a very fine trip wire. Looking up, he saw several broken off stalactites, ready to swing down like pendulums and strike foes trying to climb over the barricades. Sheridan then moves back, avoiding setting off the trap.

I wrote trip wire, but it's not like you can just jump over it or something. So, let's say it's positioned just so, so that you can't get over it or under it.

Taking a slow and deep breath, Sheridan braces himself against the barricade, and traces the wire with his eyes, looking for which end is anchored. He takes out the small shears on his keychain, careful to cup the other tools to prevent them from making noise. Holding the wire with one hand, he clips it.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

The cleric pats the rogues shoulder.

”Good work Sheridan. Sharp eye!”

Guidence giving him a +1 on his rolls

He keeps over watch in case he needs to put a bolt into something threatening. He’s determined not to get caught slipping again.

Sheridan would have to specify which check he would use his +1 on before he rolls, but because he would have failed this check otherwise, I'm going to go ahead and apply it here.

Sheridan grasps the line, cuts one end, and, with the help of Stone, they slowly lower the stalactites until they're just dangling in the air.

Sheridan continues once more, over the first and second barricades.

The coast seems clear.

Continue to play it out how you want to, but will everyone make a Climb check for me please?

Sheridan this is what you see:

This large cave appears to have been recently scratched from the hard-packed earth, and its ceiling is only five feet high. Several tons of debris fill the western portion of the cave. What appears to be the body of a man lies half buried under the rubble near the north end of the cave.

Climb: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Sheridan eases down off of the barricade, scanning through the darkness. Wary of the body conspicuously set in the middle of the cavern, and the blind corner on the right, he edges slowly to the left following the western wall of rubble.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Kane waits for the all clear, before moving down the tunnel after the others and climbing as carefully as he could over the barricade.

Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Once he's on the other side, Kane takes note of the area. Recently cut and seemingly off the beaten path... were they TRYING to collapse the tower? When he spies the man's body, Kane hurries over and kneels to start digging him out and pulling him free. If only to determine his likely identity. If he'd been here long, decay would've set in... was this their elusive and absent wizard?

Having learned from the climb of the tower earlier Yantri also waits her turn before shouldering her musket and making the attempt to climb through to the cavern.

Climb Check: 1d20 ⇒ 15

Once she gets into the the cavern her musket is back out, she makes way for those behind her, and also scans the area for signs of recent tracks or anything else of interest.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Kane, the moment you get near him, you realize he is most definitely dead. He is a white-haired, balding human clad in now-tattered finery, crushed by fallen stone and earth.
As you uncover him, the only thing of interest on his person is a key ring with two different looking keys on it. One looks standard, made of the same metal nearly all keys are made of, and the other seems to be made of brass.

Yantri, you notice everything Kane does.

Yantri also takes note of the fact that there is more tunnel that leads out of this chamber to the north.