
Broderick Cromwell |

Shrugging his shoulders "Maybe the rats took his bones?" But standing here won't solve the problem, we should pick one of these.... and go on." Motioning towards the three passages.
"But maybe there is some trail here somewhere..."
Looking for some clue where to go, Broderick examines the floor.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
or
Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Master Parisos |

Puffing on his pipe contentedly, Master Parisos wanders around the cavern, looking at the shape, color and structure of the place; its rock structures, stalactites, stalagmites, etc.
Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
He goes to the three passages and places his most polished spherical sling stone at the entrances, checking for slope.

Shadowborn |

Parisos: The middle passage shows the most slope. The cavern itself seems fairly normal, likely the work of an underground tributary of the nearby river, now diverted or gone. The lack of anything organic is likely the work of the slime, as you can see signs of acidic deterioration on much of the stone at floor level. The slime likely cannot climb, hence the remains of the nests and rat-creatures in the higher niches being undisturbed.
Amon (remember Amon?) says "It seems like the thing to do would be to ensure there are no further enemies about, but--" He cuts off abruptly, his head cocking like he's listening to something, though the rest hear no other sounds. After a moment, he continues. [b]"Whatever you decide, I need to return topside. I'll inform the guards and the Senator of what we've found, unless you all wish to come back up and gather the documents and return with me?"

Master Parisos |

Parisos draws on his pipe and considers.
"You know, you may be right. I don't think we actually checked to see if the documents were present before coming back here. Let us go back and complete our mission first before perhaps continuing this investigation later."

Broderick Cromwell |

"Shouldn't we still be looking for our missing aide? And besides we've come this far, we may as well see how deep this rat hole really goes..." Broderick protests.
"Why not let Amon gather the documents while we continue exploring?"

Master Parisos |

"Yes, yes of course you are right. The missing archivist. We must proceed to follow the traces we have to find him if we can. Amon Please check with the Archivist about our documents."
Parisos turns to follow Broderick.

Shadowborn |

Amon gives a nod and departs, leaving the lot of you to explore the tunnel. It descends for perhaps 40 or 50 paces before leveling out. This appears to be a natural formation, but there are signs that work has been done here and there to level the floor, remove stalagmites, and the like.
You follow the twisting tunnel for several minutes, noting branching passages here and there, but these are still in their natural state, tight-fitting, and show no signs of traffic.
The tunnel ends abruptly in what appears to be a dead end. However, closer observation reveals that the end of this cul-de-sac has a portion of wall that appears to be made of wood, streaked with thin deposits of limestone from the ceiling.

Master Parisos |

Cautiously, Parisos pokes at the wooden section of wall.
"Hm. I wonder if this is some kind of secret door..." He mused aloud.
Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (12) - 1 = 11
Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

Shadowborn |

Master Parisos is unable to push it out of the way, and it seems larger than the hole it covers, so it won't pull in. He does not immediately note any mechanism to open it.
Broderick steps forward, crowbar in hand, and works one wedged end in between the stone of the opening and the wooden barrier.
Strength check, +2 for the crowbar. If Master Parisos pitches in and puts a shoulder to it, he can make a check as well, and add it to Broderick's total.

Shadowborn |

After a second or two of straining, there's an audible snap, and the wooden obstacle swings out like a hinged door. Peering through, the party sees what appears to be someone's cellar. Racks with kegs and bottles line the walls, and bulging burlap sacks hang from hooks affixed to support beams in the ceiling.

Broderick Cromwell |

Looking at the others Broderick whispers "Now this is not what I expected...." before creeping further into the room, looking for any avenues of entrance/exit.
He even goes as far as to try and peer into one of the sacks (if they are within reach).

Shadowborn |

As Master Parisos stretches his senses for magical emanations, Broderick discovers that the sacks are filled with onions, potatoes, and yams.
A rattling sound from the far side of the room catches your attention. A metal accordion gate slides back as light spills into the room. A portly, bearded fellow holding a lantern steps into the room, humming to himself off-key. When he catches sight of your group, the hum dies away. He gives a conscious blink, as if not sure he's actually seeing you. Then he takes a step forward, pointing his finger at you.
"Hey! What're you lot doing in my cellar?"

Broderick Cromwell |

"Us? Why we are searching for a missing person!" Broderick replies, before squinting his eyes to focus on this new intruder.
Does he have specific markings on his clothing? Face?
"But what are you doing with a secret tunnel?!?! Hmm?" Broderick points back with an accusing finger of his own.

Shadowborn |

He's wearing shoes, trousers, and a shirt, all in darker colors. Over them he has on an apron that appears stained, perhaps by food. A port wine birthmark sits on his bald head just over his left eyebrow.
The man's face reddens as he sputters angrily. "I don't know nothin' 'bout any missing person! And I've never seen that before! Mayhaps you lot dug into my cellar to steal my stock! I should call the guard on you!"

Master Parisos |

Parisos blinks at the newcomer.
"Oh. Terribly sorry for the intrusion. We were following a secret passage and it came out here. Have you seen anyone come out here in the last day or two?" Parisos asked politely.

Master Parisos |

"Oh and no we are not thieves. And yes we do have the authority to be here."
Master Parisos pulls out his badge (a pin identifying him as a member of Croy's staff, bearing his family's crest along with the symbol of the Imperial Senate) and waives it in the stranger's general direction.

Shadowborn |

The fellow seems confused, angry, and now rather nervous. He stammers and mumbles a bit before saying "I'll call the watch. We'll sort out this mess..."
A few hours later, there are watchmen, Imperial Guards, and others involved. The man eventually confesses to using the caves, along with other man-made tunnels, to smuggle in goods and avoid Imperial tariffs on products for his tavern. He claims to know nothing about a break-in at the Senatorial Archives, nor anything about the missing archivist. He's taken into custody for further questioning, and the lot of you are recalled to the Senator's office for a briefing.

Broderick Cromwell |

Pacing around the waiting room, Broderick tries to verbally go over their accomplishments: "So we managed to get into the archives, give the list to the remaining archivist, but unable to find his companion..... and we don't have anything to show for it. Did I miss anything?"

Shadowborn |

Luckily for you, Amon had the archivist collect and deliver the required documents before leaving. He alerted the Senatorial Guard to the circumstances in the archive as well. The Senator asks that you all get a good night's rest and come see him again first thing in the morning.
The next day you all arrive on time, only to be told by his clerk, Alden, that the Senator is in a meeting elsewhere and asked that you await his arrival. When Senator Croy arrives nearly an hour later, he seems in good spirits, all things considered.
"Good morning, gentlefolk. I trust you are all well? I've been informed of the circumstances in the archive. People have been dispatched to deal with the clean up and seal off the tunnels leading under the Senatorial grounds. One of the wizards I spoke to who was investigating tells me you lot destroyed an arcane slime! Well done! That's a rather dangerous beast. It's possible that it, or perhaps those aspic rats, were the demise of that poor missing archivist."
"We've yet to determine the extent of the damage, or whether this intrusion was accidental or intentional, but the investigation is underway. In the meantime, I have a mission for you. An old friend of my family, Sir Otto van Korrien, is in need of aid. He was a staunch supporter of my bid for the Senate and I'd like to repay the favor. I want you to travel to the Caneus Empire, meet with Sir Otto, and assist him however you can."

Shadowborn |

"I'll leave him to explain the details, as he's more informed than I, but he did tell me that he needs experienced folk to investigate a curse in a village within his lands. It's a long trip, and his message said it was urgent, so I'll be sending you via magical transport."
The Senator is about to add something when Alden bursts into the office unannounced.
"Sir! I'm sorry, but it's Graff. He's at it again. This time with Von Kessel," the clerk blurts out, looking embarassed.
"By the Sanguine Lord, again?" The Senator stands, giving a sigh. "I'm afraid we'll have to delay this conversation for the moment. Where, Alden?"
"The front steps, near the fountain, sir," Alden replies, as Croy moves to leave.
"You lot might as well accompany me. It will allow you to see first hand the chaos I have to deal with on a regular basis. You'd think we had enough enemies outside our lands without making them with our neighbors."

Shadowborn |

The senator leads the group out the front entrance and down the steps. A small crowd has gathered around two men, who are in the midst of doffing their senatorial robes and handing them to aides standing nearby. As they do so, they shoot angry jibes and retorts back and forth. One is a tall, burly man--though gone a bit to fat with age--hair snow-white and receded mostly to the back of his head. He sports a large mustache. His face is currently a shade of red normally reserved for the sunburned and cooked lobster.
The other is shorter, wiry of build, his hair still dark but with gray peppering his close-cropped beard. He belts on a rapier, an ugly smirk on his face as he mutters something you can't overhear at this distance. The older man's reaction makes it clear that it wasn't complimentary. His red face begins to show shades of purple and there might be flecks of foam at the corners of his mouth as he bellows "By the Sanguine Lord, I'll not stand idly by while you toss such slander about, you bastard upstart! I demand satisfaction!"
Senator Croy groans. "Graff is a member of my faction. He takes great glee in pushing the buttons of the more conservative members of the Senate. Dueling is technically illegal. If he gets himself killed in a fight, or worse, kills old Von Kessel, he'll cast us in a bad light."

Shadowborn |

"I've made certain that the discovery of the breach on the grounds and who helped resolve the problem is common knowledge. By all means, please feel free to step in. I'm afraid Graff is all too fond of dueling, and Von Kessel is too much of a hothead not to be baited."

Master Parisos |

Master Parisos hesitated, not being very facile with people or politics. He racked his brains for any historical examples that he might be able to apply to this situation.
Knowledge:History: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Shadowborn |

"A novel idea, Kon-Tao," replies Croy, "but while Graff is of the Protectorate, Von Kessel is from Caneus. He'll never agree to a duel of pistols. It will likely be blades."