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Carefully avoiding the furnace, the group proceeds to the door on the south wall (what remains of it). Judah carefully checks for traps and listens at the door. Hearing nothing, he nods to Cass, who opens it.
The northeast wall of this room has partially fallen, revealing the dark, murky waters of the pond outside. Moldering training dummies and other similar equipment hint that this room may have once been a training area for the guards. In the northeast part of the room, the floor around a dark jagged hole is surrounded by black scorch marks.
Judah looked at the training dummies like they were about to come to life and kill him. In this place it seemed likely.
Ella raises the torch and peers around the room.
"...Ed, go look at that hole, will you?"
The shade scowls, but, still incorporeal, does as commanded, floating over to the lip of the hole and peering inside.
Lorant's eyes follow Judah's around the room, looking for anything out of place.
"Another level..." Ella muses. "Well, we should probably finish up here--and maybe find the stairs--before going down there. Has anyone else found anything?"
Lorant continues to look at the environs.
Lorant finishes looking around and thinks on what he's seen.
"Hmmm. I still propose not diving into the hole," Ella says, striding to the southern end of the room. "There's another door here--shall we proceed?"
Lorant nods, and makes a sweeping gesture to Judah and Cassiel. The intent is clear. Lead the way.
Cassiel doesn't give the hole too much thought, instead searching for more rooms to explore.
Judah stayed close to Cassiel, trying to keep the paladin between himself and the weird dummies.
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Lorant follows after their point men and takes a look around the room.
"That's curious," Ella murmurs, approaching the stage slowly. "I wonder why they would bar the stage...?" With Edmund floating behind her, she peers through the bars at the performance space.
"Presumably to protect people from the prisoners, whether they're the ones sitting in the benches or standing on the stage."
Lorant furrows his brow, thinking on historical examples of this kind of setup.
Lorant sighs.
"That's all I can think of. Be ready in case we encounter another haint."
Ella strides up and down the length of the auditorium. "Nothing else here, so far as I can see...I guess we keep going, then." She pauses, looking unenthused, by the double doors on the western side of the chamber.
Cassiel moves to investigate the doors.
"Ugh! Sweet Pharasma! There's s-something cold in here!" Ella cries, teeth chattering. She wraps her arms around herself for warmth.
Lorant frowns as he walks over to Eleanora and waves his hand in the air, wondering if he can sense the change in temperature too.
Lorant grabs his chin and ponders the unusual change in temperature. Such an abrupt change in such a small area wasn't natural.
"It's probably another haunt. As far as I can tell, it seems harmless."
Ella shudders. "Well, that seems likely. I don't know if it's truly harmless though...that was awfully cold for a second, there!" Still shivering, she backs up until she's out of the area of unnatural chill.
"Yet not cold enough to cause frostbite," Lorant replies, following her.
"It seems concentrated around the entryway here too. The difference from moving from there to here is as dramatic as walking from a winter's day into a room with a roaring fire in the hearth."
"Harmless?" Judah said edging forward until he could hold his hand out into he area of cold, then snatching it back.
"For a few seconds maybe."
"We still have work to do. A little cold won't stop us from that," Lorant replies.
"Well, then. We've looped around," Ella murmurs. "I think that we initially went through those far doors...so perhaps it's time to pursue that set?" She points to the doors to the north.
"Indeed," Lorant says, rubbing his face. He frowns. "I should shave tonight, this probably looks terrible. Haven't gone clean shaven in decades."
Ella shrugs. "You look fine. Stubble is in right now, or so I'm told."
"It's a fine look for a stage comedy," Lorant replies. "I need to at least shave the other half off so I don't look like I ran out of the house half-dressed."
You'll be fine - I can't pull off facial hair at all. I'd look like a street dog with the mange.
"Well, all in favor of proceeding to this other hall? Lorant says, indicating it with a jerk of the head.
Cassiel nods. "Aye."
He then leads the way into the new hall.
Judah followed Cassiel, idly wondering how long it took Lorant to grow his beard in the first place.
Certainly.
Ella nods. "The sooner we can find anything about Petros's death and get out of here, the happier I thin we'll all be."
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You cross the threshold and find yourselves back in the entrance hall. No sooner has the last of you passed through the portal when the door slams shut of its own accord. Upon checking the doors to the north, Judah nods to Cassius, who opens the doors. As the door is opened, there is a rush of air and a horde of screaming ghosts pours through. This time, however, it is not as unexpected and the party mostly ignores them.
The corridor beyond the doors is oddly familiar. You passed through briefly earlier.
Judah sighs. "Better the screaming ghosts than the ones who light people on fire, I suppose."
Turning to the next doors, he did his scan and checked the locks.