The Blue Thorn eyes the large dog warily, ready to respond if it decides to turn aggressive again.
"How's it going everyone?" she nervously asks for an update. "Are we ready to leave this room before mama decides to turn mean again?"
"Hey!" The Beast says, as the door slams in his face. Pushing with all his might, he tries to open it up again.
"That's OK, I'll manage," Adun replies to Agnes. He tries again, making sure the chair is stable before he stands on it.
Making a more thorough second attempt, Adun is able to reach the piece of metal that is nailed to the rafter.
The iron door flies open from the Nightmare Beast's strength. It clatters as it slams into the wall and the dogs startle. Then a cackling laughter begins to echo and swirl around the room, fading away after a few seconds. The dogs becomes ever more agitated at the sounds and give Blue Thorn a bark before taking a few steps from the food pile and growling.
Looks like we're outta time folks," the Blue Thorn cracks her whip at the big dog, hoping to get it to back down.
"Just try to get behind the door!" The Fiend shouts to Blue Thorn. "The outer wall this way is weak."
The Beast keeps a hand on the door, ready to shut it again when the others get through.
Agnes rushes over to the dogs.
"Blue Thorn please, stay calm!"
"Bark bark woof woof!"
Adun grabs the ring and stuffs it in his pocket, the growling of the dogs suggesting that now isn't the time to discuss it's significance. He hops down from his pile of furniture and moves quickly towards the door. "Come on!" he calls to Agnes. "Let's get out of here!"
The mastiff steps forward and is much more confident now that it has fed some. Savagely barking at the Pack, cold shivers run down their back.
The Pack and Blue Thorn remain in the middle of the room with the larger dog now turning it's attention to all of you. The Silver Shadow is still keeping watch by the main entrance while the rest stand behind the opened gate, urging you all to flee behind it as well.
"Okay, okay, Blue Thorn starts backing slowly away from the dogs, with The Pack. "Just passing through, then. Thanks again, for all your...um..hospitality."
With a few steps head start, she turns and makes a run for the door held open for her.
As the dogs start to become more aggressive, Carl strides slowly and carefully to the gate behind Blue Thorn and The Pack, trying not to draw their attention.
With Blue Thorn and the Silver Shadow out of the room, The Pack retreats behind the door too.
Fleeing behind the gate, only the Silver Shadow has far enough to travel that they catch the dog’s eye. The bite attempt misses, perhaps it was more intimidation than legitimate. Regardless, everyone slips behind the gate and slam it shut as the mastiff lunges into the bars barking. Slowly it backs off, never looking away and always quietly growling.
Inside this hallway, the floor is covered in dry blood and old bits of bone. On one side of the hall hangs partially open a once hidden door on decayed hinges. At the far end of the hall is a patch of eroded foundation.
The Beast walks up to the half-rotted door and attempts to pull it he rest of the way open. "Hmmm. What is this?"
"I suspect this is what we are looking for," Adun replies, spotting the eroded stonework.
Agnes whistfully looks back at the door.
"Poor doggie..."
The Nightmare Beast is able to peal back the failed hidden door from it's rusted hinges. It reveals an old workroom that houses numerous old slaughterhouse tools, veterinary equipment, and woodworking tools, all of which are covered with a thick layer of dust through which strange tracks and patterns have been traced. Heavy mallets, crumbling ropes, and tools for restraining animals hang from pegs in the walls or rest atop leaning tables. To the southwest, a trap door sits ajar, propped open by a block of wood.
The Beast holds out a hand to forestall the others. "Does anyone recognize these tracks?" he says, gesturing to the strange tracks.
"I don't recognize them. However, there's trap door in the floor. We should investigate that. If everyone's ready, we should head down."
The Fiend waits to hear that everyone is ready.
"Looks like we could easily smash this part of the wall down if we need to make a quick getaway," Adun says, pointing out the crumbling masonry as the Beast wrenches open the door.
"No idea what those are," Adun says as the Beast points out the tracks and patterns, "but that trap door seems like a good idea."
"Whoever goes first, please let me follow," The Blue Thorn suggests. "Most of you are capable in a fight, but I can protect the person in front while others take good positions."
Agnes looks in horror at the implements scattered about.
"What in Gozre's name happened here..."
Eyeing the trapdoor: "Is there a ladder? I can set Laika to guard the trapdoor. He doesnt really do ladders."
"I'm happy to go down first," Adun volunteers. "Could probably do with some light though."
Prying open the trapdoor, it can be seen that it leads down a 15 or so foot shaft into darkness. As you deliberate, some of the implements start to rattle on the tables. Starting slowly at first, they begin to crash into each other quiet violently until two of the rusty slaughtering knives fly from the table and embed themselves into an interior wall. Blood begins to flow from where they protrude from the building and doesn't stop as the tacky liquid pools on the dusty floor.
When Adun asks for light, the Fiend obliges and re-casts Dancing Lights at the bottom of the shaft.
Once the knives start flying, he snaps to attention. "Something is definitely here, but I can't see it".
[ooc] It could easily be my shit perception, though[/dice]
The light of the Fiend's spell illuminates the cellar, but Adun's attention is caught by the sudden rattling and shaking of the tools and is forced to step aside as two rusted knives fly past him. They embed themselves in the wall, which starts to bleed.
"OK, that's not right," he says, somewhat fearfully. "Let's get down there before anything worse happens." He peers down the shaft in the floor, looking for a ladder or some other way of climbing down.
"Arg, what is happening?!"
Agnes frantically looks around.
"This is not good!
Not able to eaily get Laika down the ladder, Agnes retreats out of the room and takes cover in the corner of the hallway.
Following the lights Adun climbs carefully but quickly down the ladder, looking round for danger as he goes. At the bottom he steps aside to clear the way for the next person and takes a fighting stance, ready to confront anything that might be lurking in the dark.
Carl gasps in terror and as soon as it is free rushes down the ladder behind Adun.
"We will catch your companion! Have her make the jump!" he calls out to Agnes.
"Oh dear..."
Agnes makes Laika wait at the top of the ladder, then quickly climbs down. "Just be carefull, he's a big boy."
Getting into position with The Pale Knight and the Silver Shadow, she motions up.
"C'mon Laika! Jump!"
Covering the top of the hole as the others descend, The Beast follows after them.
The Fiend will follow down once Laika and Blue Thorn have passed.
Blue Thorn tries to encourage Laika as best she can. Of course she knows nothing about Handling Animals, so she ends up kind of awkwardly trying to help the wolf and staying out of his way.
Once Laika is Blue Thorn hops down after and presses toward the front, just behind Adun.
For those that descend the ladder, the eye-watering stench of urine and feces fills this large room. Nests made of chewed crates and barrels line the walls, while rusty knives and hooks cover the tabletops.
Laika whines and shakes her head at the Pack’s request to jump down. The dog’s tail drops between its legs and it takes a half step back from the fifteen foot shaft. While the Fiend and Blue Thorn try to encourage it from up top, those down in the subterranean room hear the debris becoming upended as three creatures spring out towards the group!
Only one of the large rats is able to land it’s filthy teeth into a host. The Silver Shadow tries to pull his leg away from the clamping jaws a moment too late and loses a bit of flesh to the erratic vermin.
What the...
Agnes draws her sword and takes a swing at one of the rats.
The Fiend throws a bolt at the closest rat he can see.
The Fiend's shot smashes into the wall near the bottom of the downward passage, causing a shower of mystic energy to rain down into the room. The rats bite again, this time only finding Agnes' flesh.
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Carl pulls free from the giant rodent and steps away. His cloak seems to grow slightly in the darkness and fills out as if he were suddenly standing taller and straighter. A crackling sound and the smell of ozone emanates from his direction, as he draws forth silver-white bolts from the great beyond and launches them toward the offending creature.
"That doesn't sound good," Brianna remarks to the Fiend before descending the ladder. She readies her whip as she hops off the ladder.
Adun hears the scrabbling of claws and Agnes' cry of alarm and looks down to see three vast rats biting and clawing at Agnes and Carl. Silvery blasts of energy zip past him and he pauses a moment before stepping forward and bringing his gauntleted fist down on the nearest rat.
The bolt of mystic energy destroys one of the rats, exploding it into a ball of crackling energy and fur. Then taking a quick step forward the Pale Knight punches another rat's face in, dropping it limp on the floor at the sound of a solid Twack!.
Seeing some more space down below, the Fiend climbs down the ladder and draws his rapier, ready to deal with any new threats.
Drawing daggers, The Beast slashes twice at the nearest rat.
Crit?