Salt looks at Shiv as he offers the food, and turns very pale. "No thanks". "I'm not hungry". he stammers and moves away.
Oscar looks through the gear, separating it into piles while the others question the prisoners. He takes a smoke stick, (2) Tanglefoot bags from the stuff, and waits for the others to make their choices.
"So wake me up when we're ready to head down". Salt finds a comfortable spot, and stretches out to nap.
"Come on prisoners, work with us and it'll be much better for you."
A moment of staring stretches out, but then the wererat looks down. "There's a second guard station on the other side of the shaft," she says, motioning toward the passage to the south. "There's four more Girls there. I wasn't counting them when I answered before. And as for why they shifted the camp... I haven't been down there myself, but the rumor is there's something on one of the lower levels, some kind of treasure cache Ayala is trying to get open. That's why they moved the camp down a floor."
"Okay thanks for telling us all that." Miet nodding happily
"We're going to have to leave you tied up here until we go deeper, but if everything you've said checks out, we'll release you on our way back." Galyna says sternly.
Lowering the rat haunch from his grease covered chin, "They as like ta filch our boats while we ain't lookin', leavin' us stranded. 'Sides, you gonna let tha diseased one live ta spread her plague? Other 'un tried ta take a bite out a me. Put tha sick one down merciful like 'fore others end up like her." After saying this he pauses thoughtful and directs a question at the Tower Girls, "Come ta think o' it. How you lasses get out here and back anyways?"
Uraisa moves up to Shiv, and whispers," "I agree. The cursed one will infect all of us, if left to her druthers. I'd advise ending its suffering."
The wererat blinks in surprise as the talk turns quickly to killing. "We can't do that!" she squeaks. "Ayala is the natural-born one! She can infect people, but we can't!"
Miet places herself between the wererat and the others
"Hey they told us what we wanted to know no one is ending anyone else here got it?"
Shiv shrugs at Miet, "No need ta git all worked up lil lass. If'n what she says is true and she can't spread it...than I got no beef. Sounds like we need ta do fer this Ayala though. Just keep this lots gear and put 'em on a boat with tha promise if'n we see 'em again we won't be so kind next time." He looks to the wererat and tears off a chunk of rat with his teeth before speaking again, "'Sides, I'm thinkin' no 'mount o' ropes like ta hold her still fer long."
Kassandra steps in, answering Shiv, "We don't need to hold them for long, but we should definitely keep them tied or locked until after we take care of Ayala. I don't want to release them before we're done here - they can turn upon us, and might still come in handy if we'll need more information here".
Finishing the haunch the rogue pops open a potion bottle to wash it down, "Ahh, that hit tha spot. Do what ya need ta do. Sounds like we're done here." He stands while wiping his hands on his coat, "I'm ready ta git movin'."
Ellantera moves to back Miet's stand, much as she hates disagreeing with her brother, and is relieved to see the argument die back down quickly. Looking at the captives, she says, "Information for freedom. You didn't lie, you don't need t' fear, right? Anythin' y' feel like tellin' us before we go? A passwords, maybe?"
She looks at the others, "So we need to tend to the other four guards, then Ayala's inner circle, yeah?"
"No passwords," the wererat says. "We all know each other."
She shrugs, "OK. We don't have a problem with them, but if we have to fight them, we will. Unless you have an idea?"
The wererat just shakes her head, looking dejected.
Galyna checks the bonds, reinforcing them before giving the ready sign to move on.
Uraisa falls in line behind the others, ready to move along. She gives a nervous look behind her at the rat/humanoids tied up behind her.
The rogue bundles up the unclaimed gear and leans close to Uraisa in an attempt to ease her mind, "Don' think they'll be too much trouble without this...well 'cept the rat one...She'll be gnawin' through those bindin's and skulkin' through the shadows soon as we got ours backs turned."
Ellantera takes the rear again, watching behind the party more than in front, lest the thieves indeed get free.
"Well thanks for your co-operation We'll try to sort everything out quickly and see about getting you all set free." Miet giving a bow before hurrying after the others
Kassandra glances back at the prisoners before moving ahead with the others. After Miet talks to the prisoners, she remarks, loud enough for the prisoners to hear, "In fact, they should thank us for not killing them. I'm not sure we would get the same treatment if they would have subdued us".
Oscar rises stretches, and grabs his weapons to follow...That is assuming somebody woke him before they left :-)
The passage indicated by the Tower Girls heads a short distance west and then turns south - but it abruptly dead-ends.
Giving the secret door a once over for traps the rogue shoves it open, "Looks like this is the way we go."
Beyond the "secret" door is a moderate-sized room, with scratched and faded murals on the walls. Several portions of the wall and floor show signs of past chipping. An empty plinth where a statue once stood rests by a small alcove. A passage to the left opens out to what looks like empty air.
Shiv's search of the room reveals only traces of many, many others who have explored here before him. However, the passage to the left is far more interesting. A ledge festooned with old bird nests looks out over a shaft dropping nearly two hundred feet to sea level below, where Shiv can just make out the moored rowboats the group left tied to the makeshift dock. A large coil of rope sits on the ground near the shaft, one end anchored to a large piton driven into a crack near the wall. Opposite the shaft is another ledge with a window looking out over Magnimar’s harbor. The ceiling is a mere ten feet above, and crisscrossed by a complex tangle of stone arches that support the roof. Between the two ledges, a five-foot-square wooden platform hangs from four thick ropes that hang from the stone arches. The platform is further anchored by two thick ropes to spikes hammered into the walls near the edge of the western ledge, while another pair of ropes hang from the ceiling above, anchored to a hook driven into the wall near the same ledge.
Shiv looks down and then out to the platform, "Heh, cute." He fearlessly grabs a hold of the ropes running along the ceiling before stepping out onto the western ledge ropes. His overconfidence is plain as he shimmies carelessly across, even once faking losing his grip as a joke...
"Be careful, Shiv. That might be safe...," Uraisa mutters, as she watches the risk taker jump into action.
Once Shiv reaches the platform, he notices a boat hook tied to the the ropes supporting the wooden rig, as though to keep it from falling down into the shaft.
Looking for some way to continue off the platform he quickly takes note of something on the ceiling, "Eh, what's this? Looks like a bolt hole in tha ceilin'" He pulls himself up to listen for anybody setting up an ambush on the other side. He makes a sign to stay put and be quiet to the others as he lifts himself.
"Can you see or hear anything from there?", Kassandra whispers as she keeps her distance from the ledge without looking down.
Oscar still stretching and yawning from his nap, none-the-less watches Shiv's movement, prepared for action.
"Do you need any help"?
The rogue's sister peers around the corner long enough to see his high-wire act, then pulls back with a small shudder. She turns to face the direction from which they've come, watching for company.
The boat-hook easily catches the piton and pulls down the trapdoor, which smoothly and quietly extends a study-looking ladder. The space above looks to be a tunnel about 5 feet square, and Shiv nimbly disappears into it.
The rogue reappears and signals that the others should cross, "Watch yer steps 'cause it's a long ways down. I think if ya fell yah'd pretty much decorate tha whole landin' down there." He fastens his second story harness to the hook in the ceiling before taking a length of rope and slipping something from his finger onto it and knotting the end. He tosses the knotted end of the rope to everyone on the landing, "Salt, ya best use that cause yer wearin' all that metal. It's like to weigh ya down. Not sure how sturdy their lil rope bridge is gonna be fer a big fella like yerself." Their on the end of the rope is his Ring of Featherfall for any who wish to make use of it. El suddenly comes to the realization he was never in any danger...
Relief and frustration war for the forefront of her mind - but relief wins. "No unnecessary risks, El." Why'd I think he's forgotten his own lesson t' me?
Ellantera continues watching for threats - or escapees - as she sets her pack down and fishes out another second-story harness and proceeds to put it on. Shoulda thought o' this meself.
"Thanks". Oscar growls, and begins to make his way up the rope.
The rogue spits out some black chew, just to watch it fall, as people cross to the platform. Once a couple are across he grunts his satisfaction and hauls himself back through the trapdoor. While lighting a hooded lantern he comments to those below him, "Dark up here, gonna scout some. Follow er not, as ya like."
Uraisa waits for Oscar to make it up. She wasn't wearing heavy metal, but she wasn't the strongest of sorts either. Better safe than sorry!
The passage southward is about fifty feet long in total and contains no traps that Shiv can see - and he doesn't spring any either, so it looks to be clear. At the passage's far end, there is another opening leading downward - this one is not sealed, and a makeshift rope ladder hangs down from two more pitons driven into the stone walls of the passage. There is no sight or sound of people in the room below, which looks to be a long, narrow hall or corridor, stretching toward the west.
Miet follows along behind the others.
Slinging her crossbow over her shoulder Galyna follows up the rope.
Dropping silently down into a crouch the rogue scans the area before signalling for the others to follow. Taking back his ring once everyone has arrived Shiv begins to lead them further down the hall.
Uraisa takes ten for a nine, as she slowly crawls up the rope, following the others.
Kassandra crosses over to the platform after the others, then goes through the passage and reaches the room.
Bringing up the rear, Ellantera ushers the Abadaran dwarf ahead of her.
It's not a swift process, but everyone in the group does eventually make their ways across to the platform and then up the ladder into the small passage. The hall on the far side bears murals showing strangely dressed Thassilonian priests placing bodies into crypts. Several niches in the walls may have once been burial crypts themselves, but today, the hall is strewn with bones and the niches lay empty.