That is, assuming there even is anything down there. It could simply be a death trap.
Tony rechecks his gear really quick and begins his descent.
"Well, we'll find out soon. Give me a 30 count before you start following. I'll stop you or scream if something goes wrong."
Tony gets sneaky and starts heading down.
Belle is perched comfortably on the edge of the pit, listening intently, ready to flee or run to rescue Tony if things go wrong.
One of you pulls out a rope, and both Reynaud and Garrosh anchor it while Tony easily scales down into the pit. He arrives at the bottom and looks down the passage to the east. He pauses for a minute before looking up, and speaking quietly. "Initially clear. No hostiles for 60 feet. How thorough do you want me to be looking for traps?
Knowing how incapable of climbing Agyen is of climbing starts you thinking about the safest way to make the descent and how you should secure the rope for Reynaud and Garrosh to descend.
"Go with your gut feeling man - I don't know the first thing about traps" - Garrosh chuckles from high up above.
Tony nods and disappears down the hall.
Belle will give him 5 minutes and then go after him.
Tony heads back to the group as he tries not to vomit. But gives a nice cursory look around the pit area before heading back.
So I have good news and I have bad news. Nothing tried to eat me, but your not going to like the next section.
Tony gives them the gist of what he has found.
"Do you think I could open the door further with a mage hand? If not that then I could summon another elemental to do the honors. I'm really going to have to learn get that spell in my spellboook because this wand is going to run out eventually!"
Garrosh tries to find something within the sarcophagus room where he can securely attach a rope in case they need to climb back up in a hurry - once he is done:
"The pit puzzles me, with a spike and a rope attached seems like someone used it to go down there?" - he ponders - "But I'm with you Belle, let's check that door first - My suggestion? Send an elemental. It is more versatile"
Belle uses another charge and has the elemental earth glide through the pit and over to the door, opening it. She positions herself 30' from the pit.
Garrosh immediately notices the sarcophagus as the most solid item to secure a rope to, but also finds some rusty iron spikes amidst the bones and crushed equipment. Regardless of how he secures the rope, you begin your descent.
As Belle decides to go down, Garrosh follows.
When he is almost down there, his hand slips and he crashes down like a comet, though it is more noise than anything else.
I won't be useful standing about here.
Upon getting to the floor, Reynaud starts floating his ioun torch.
While the others see about climbing down, Belle moves toward the pit with Tony. The thin wand of stone and crystal feels cold in her hands as she makes the intricate symbol needed to activate. From the packed earth of the tunnel rises the small form of the elemental, which stares at her with the hard, gem-like eyes. The sound that emanates from Belle's throat is something more akin to gravel sliding down a rock face. The small elemental turns, merges with the earth floor and moves toward the pit. After a couple moments, the foul scent of decay and dung becomes even more powerful, and the elemental returns.
Once down there, the Warpriest waits for whatever feedback Belle may garner from the elemental.
Not to be outdone, she also falls the last few feet.
*ooph* If we are going to continue to do this we are going to need to make a rope ladder. Cheaper than a wand of cure light wounds.
Done, though now for the Fort save
By the nine hells, that's a smell that could burn the hair off your arse. I'm going in!
Tony pops an Anti-Plague for the clearly disease ridden cease pit, and begins sifting through the area.
Stinks something awful. Maybe something died down there.
Reynaud heads down into the pit.
Unless you want to go first, Tony, to see if the elemental missed any traps.
Tony climbs down into the pit, and looks through the now open door. An unlit, natural passage leads away from the now open door. Another door stands closed just at the edge of your vision. Scanning the area around the door and on the other side of the open door, Tony detects no traps, and starts to move down the corridor. Reynaud easily climbs down into the pit.
Agyen, unsure about the descent, finally works up the nerve. The rope feels coarse in his hands as he leans back and starts to walk down the wall.
Halfway down the wall and he is already sweating profusely. He resists the urge to wipe his hands dry, and continues down.
The sweat on his hands proves too much and he feels his hands slipping. He attempts to grab for the rope as he flais out and his feet start to slide down the wall. but is unsuccessful. He hits the floor with a crack.
A blue light flashes around Agyen for a second, healing his wounds.
Once down, he takes his place in the line and the group follows down into the cesspit. Tony Approaches the door, scanning the floor and walls in front for anything suspicious. Seeing nothing, he steps up and examines the door. Not finding the door trapped, and seeing that it appears unlocked, he steps back. Garrosh works his way to the front as Reynaud opens the door, and the two step through weapons at the ready.
Beyond the door is a natural passage which immediate splits into two passages. Stepping up to the passage, you can see the natural passage to the east open into a squared off chamber with piles of bones scattered across the floor. A low, dark hole gapes in the stone wall at the far end of the room.
The natural passage to the north continues to the limit of Garrosh's darkvision, with a side passage heading to the east about 20 feet from the intersection you currently stand at.
Looks all clear, anyone have a preference on a direction?
Reynaud gestures to the east
This one seems shorter, at least.
"Yep, east sounds good" - Garrosh nods.
"Fine with me. Just assume a yes from me when it is a branch."
Tony again takes the lead and heads to the edge of the natural passage where the walls change to worked stone. A closed wooden door, reinforced with iron stands in the middle of the far wall. A hole in the stone wall, about three feet in diameter, is to the left of the door, and leads to a dirt tunnel. You could probably navigate this tunnel, but it would be a very tight squeeze for Garrosh and Reynaud. A noticeable draft of fresher air wafts from the hole, bringing with it the sound of unintelligible whispers. The rest of the room is strewn with piles of gnawed on bones, and dirt.
"Looks like a rat's nest to me. Well, lets go in. That fresh air looks hopeful. It would be nice to have an alternate entrance and exit."
Tony shudders when he hears talk of ghouls.
"Hold on a sec. Let me check the pile of bones real quick, see if we have a surprise in store for us", Tony whispers back to the group.
He goes a little deeper in the cavern, probing the piles for anything of concern/interest. If nothing pops up, he moves to the tight squeeze part of the tunnels.
You have to crouch down to peer into the tunnel. Once you do, you see that it narrows even further, to about two feet in diameter and splits into two winding passages which start to climb toward the surface.. You would need to crawl to get through, and even then it would be a squeeze.
Tony stows the crossbow, and pulls out a crowbar.
At a distance, he uses mage hand to shift the bones for an initial reaction. Then closes in with the crowbar to start digging in to see into the charnel piles.
Garosh stands ready to spring in case anything comes out of the pile.
The crowbar moves over to the first pile, prodding it apart, revealing nothing. It them moves to the second pile, and moves the bones around, revealing a rat corpse. As the crowbar moves toward the third pile, you notice a bright greenish substance on the crowbar.
"Ick. That doesn't look good" she murmurs.
Tony drops the crowbar, and alerts the group to the green substance.