Cabe steps forward and takes a swing at the wounded rat.
,
Elisen and Cabe combine to finish off the last rat.
After checking the lockbox for traps and finding none, Ric pulls out his thieves' tools and starts working on the lock, which pops open revealing:
A potion
2 scrolls
MW hand crossbow
10 bolts
10 silver bolts
10 cold iron bolts
From this room there is a door leading north and stairs heading down.
Eli casts Read Magic and looks at the two scrolls, trying to identify the magic contained therein.
She also closely examines the potion, trying to do the same with it.
Spellcraft
Barundar follows after the others, looking a bit miffed that he hasn't seen any of the action yet, though he knows that other, faster fighters are certainly going to get their licks in first.
Still, his dorn dergar is ready for swinging, should the need ever arise.
"Silver? Seems a streenge thing tae fin' here...were th' locals ever huvin trouble fae were-creatures?"
"I really think we should clear this level before heading down so we don't get surprised on the way back up."
Falric takes the northern door and leads the party, his eyes peeled out for danger with his lights guiding the way.
Eli takes the scroll of Ghost bane Dirge and carefully stows it away. "Can any of you use this Barkskin scroll? I can't use it at all."
She agreed with Ric that exploring this level would be the prudent move.
You mark the stairs in your memories for future reference and head north into the corridor outside the infirmary. 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.
As the party starts to make its way through the corridor, a large spider the size of a horse leaps down from the hole in the ceiling! Its many eyes watch you, while its mandibles drip with venom!
Eli casts Acid Splash at the flat footed spider.
RTA
Damage
"Ahm really beginnin' to dislike this place," Morti mutters, stepping in to take a swing at the spider.
"This bug needs squishin'!" the dwarf exclaims, using his weapon as a battering ram and heaving it against the spider!
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Elly's splash of acid annoys the spider, as it is quite agile and the two dwarves' attacks miss the creature by a mile.
Its mandibles lash out and bury themselves deep in the inquisitor's arm, ripping through his flesh and injecting its vile poison into his bloodstream.
Falric curses himself for his slow reactions when he sees Morti's arm get savaged and he attacks the spider, fighting defensively! "Move to flank it with me."
Falric misses clumsily, as he tries to bait the spider into attacking him (AC 25).
Cabe watches with a worried expression as he seems his friends having trouble hitting the spider, and calls for Torag's blessing to steel their arms.
Eli keeps her Acid splash targeting the spider.
RTA into melee
Damage
Gritting his teeth against the poison searing through his arm, Morti channels the pain into a powerful swing at the spider.
...then takes a step back to avoid another hit.
The spider is still up; waiting for Barundar.
The spider, quite bloodied after Morti's vicious blow, takes a 5' step and tries to bite the dwarf again, but its mandibles bounce off the inquisitor's armor.
Barundar does not miss and crushes the spider's head into the ground, where it lies dead. Morti has a nasty wound on his arm but he fought off the poison so there are no further aftereffects.
Falric looks at the dwarves, "Nice job, you two. You kicked its a$$!" The curious bard investigates the bookcase, after Morti heals himself.
Cabe takes a look at Morti's arm and mutters a soothing prayer to Torag. Nasty critter. Never saw anything like it.
Morti smiles at Falric's praise. [B]"Ne'er underestimate dwarves when ye need someaught smashed to a pulp! 'Asides, after th' number y'all did on th' assassins last night, I needed t' catch up a hair! [/ooc]
Morti will check out the cabinet on the opposite side of the corridor.
An abandoned hopeknife sits in plain sight on one of the bookshelves in the bookcase. Its blade bears the inscription "For Rodrik, my love". Falric's keen eyes sense something off and he finds a small cubby behind the false back that holds an ornate coffer studded with numerous gems. It is empty but appears quite valuable.
Morti pushes aside the rotted boards in the cabinet and finds:
An oil radiates magic
Potion radiates magic
Scroll case with 3 scrolls: Knock(x2), Summon Swarm
2 vials of holy water
At the opposite end of the hallway is a collapsed stairway blocked by view as it is covered in spider webs.
There is also a door in the hall you came in through that you have not opened and the door leading down.
Eli casts Read Magic and looks at the scrolls, calling out their properties.
She also closely examines the oil, trying to do the same with it.
Spellcraft
Potion Spellcraft
Barundar handles the abandoned hopeknife with care, looking it over with a slight frown.
"Should we return it tae Brinya? or wid that ainlie cause her mair hurt?"
It is a potion of shield of faith.
Elisen tells the others about the potion, thinking it would be best served in the hands of one of the front liners.
"I think she'd wan' i' despite th' hurt. If we can tell 'er what cause 'e lost i' in, so much th' better.
"I agree. She should have the hope knife. It might give her some sort of relief, however small.". She waits for the group to take the lead, and for one of them to claim the potion.
"So this is where Rodrik misplaced his knife? Poor soul. I agree, Brinya would like a keepsake of her lover. I think we should clear this level before moving up or down." He asks Barundar to hold on to the valuables found, as he does not want to be weighed down. Then he leads the party to the door in the hall where we first entered.
Falric opens the door. 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. However, you sense movement, as it appears you have disrupted the nest of two giant centipedes!
"There sure are a lot of vermin in this place!" Falric charges the centipede with his scimitar.
Eli uses her Acid splash to target the other centipede.
RTA
Damage
Morti also targets the second centipede.
Both centipedes are dead. You scamper up the stairs and find a dusty shrine to Iomedae. You find no treasures so you head back downstairs. Where to?
"Ah got to give Rodrik 'is due--that 'e was in an' outta 'ere alone in 'is investigations speaks well o' his skill. Easy t' get in trouble 'ere, it 'ould seem."
"Good point, Morti. Now let's go downstairs and see who barred the trapdoor and why. And keep quiet as we do so."
Falric cleans his blade of the dead centipede's blood and leads the party down the steps, looking for traps and using stealth.
The stone stairs end in a stark subterranean chamber. Doorways to the northwest and southwest offer egress from the room. Around the corner to the south, a lone statue has been relegated to a dusty corner behind the stairs.
Falric picks up the faint sound of muffled voices to the north but he cannot make out what they are saying.
Finally we may get some answers. Cabe waits with bated breath.
Falric signals and whispers to the party "Voices ahead. Prepare yourself and stay here and do not make any noise. I will scout and be back."
The bard's hand glows as he grabs the flask at his side and drinks it. Instantly, his skin transforms becoming tougher and more scaly and his speed increases.
With scimitar in hand, he heads north toward the sound of the voices.
On Falric's report, Morti will check the hall for any tracks, other than the halfling's, door any clue as to who may have preceded them.
The dwarf also makes ready to cast shield of faith on himself, should there be any sign of Falric encountering trouble.
Morti finds tracks of a humanoid creature, over 6' tall and weighing between 200-225 lbs.
The stealthy Falric moves 30' to the east from the party around a bend, out of sight of the party. He hears the muffled voices a little bit louder and they seem to be originating from down a hallway to the west. The halfling inches over, his back to the wall, careful not to let the light of his spell give him away. He sneaks a peek down the hallway. It leads 15' in and then opens into a room lit by a what appears to be a firepit. He can hear two clear voices, one deeper than the other. They are talking about rather mundane stuff (the weather and your first kill, etc.), while they eat. As Falric looks, once in awhile a figure, doing most of the talking, walks around the room and comes into view. It is a male half-orc, older, with thinning hair, but not as old as the oracle you met. He is garbed in leather armor, walks around with a morningstar in hand, has 2 shorts swords strapped at his side, and a handful of daggers on a bandolier across his chest. The other figure is a tall, gangly giant, about 7 and a half feet tall, has a thick hide of mottled blue; protruding yellowed canines; narrow slits for eyes; and large, powerful hands that end in wicked claws. Falric can also see a closed iron door on the western side of the room.
Before Falric leaves to report his findings, his keen eyes with low-light vision sense something irregular with the floor tile in front of him. As looks further, he can tell that the the first 15' of entrance to the hallway have been cleverly disguised to hide bear traps underneath them. The halfling could perhaps disable 2 of the 3 bear traps without being seen (would require DD and Stealth checks - cannot take 10). But the 3rd bear trap would force him to come into view of the room's occupants and without cover and their Darkvision, he would be automatically spotted.
Ever the gambler, Falric tries to disable the two traps within reach while remaining hiding. If successful, he will leave the 3rd tile with the bear trap alone and head back to the party and report.
Stealthily, the halfling times the disabling of the traps just right when the occupants of the room are out of line of sight and quietly disables the traps without raising an alarm. He blends into the shadows and reports back to the party. From the description, Elisen confirms the appearance of the Flood Troll, in addition to the half-orc rogue. The party investigates some sounds to the west and sees a passageway leading to the same room but locked by a portcullis.
Here is the map to give you an idea
"I have some protective magic if you need it before going into battle. Barundar?"