"If you don't have a rope hon I do." Kale said as she called to Haruf as she got the rope out of her bag and began to knot it just in case they would need it.
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Haruf is able to easily scamper up the ramp. A few pebbles tumble down, otherwise he makes it to the top unscathed. Mira quickly follows hopping from ground level to the second floor with an effortless jump.
Tossing down the rope, Kale quickly makes supportive knots. Her and the rest of the companions are able to easily make their way to the second story of the fallen tower.
Open to the sky above, this exposed upper floor contains only some smashed furniture and a sprinkling of rubble. A trap door is set in the floor against the northwest wall, but a stout timber has fallen across it.
Kale easily tosses aside the timber and gains access to the floor below. The tower's large ground floor has mostly collapsed under the rubble, but along the western portion of the room a section remains clear of debris. An iron trap door is set in the floor directly below the companion door that the party is coming through in the ceiling above. Shattered wooden furniture lies scattered around the corpses of two small, green-scaled creatures. The only source of light is what sifts in through the open trap door above.
Glancing around, Guillaume quickly takes stock of the shattered furniture, Kobold corpses, and other detritus scattered about the room. Realizing that his companions can't necessarily see in the dim light, he casts light on his armor to illuminate the room. "You know," he muses, brow furrowing, "perhaps we should've asked Lady Devy what this tower was used for prior to its abandonment. She called it a "witch tower", I think. We may need to be on guard for magical traps and the like." Guillaume then looks around again, more cautiously this time, looking for anything dangerous or valuable.
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Haruf seems to feel more comfortable in a darkened room, even with the magic light. He glances at the two corpses quickly, but seems to be more interested in the trap door. Hearing Guillaume's remark, Haruf says Traps... I figured that after a thousand years, those'd not exist anymore....
After a sigh, he approaches the trap door and gently asks Kale Stand clear, will ya? These trap things are real scar makers. He, then, searches for traps on the iron trap door. He hopes not to find any, but is determined to dismantle any traps found.
His curiosity leads him to touch his ear to the trap door to try and listen to anything in the other side.
Haruf is clearly hesitant to open the trap door. Instead, he focuses his attention back to the corpses and tries to scavenge them.
Kale looked around while Haruf worked looking for traps.
"Didn't she say her husband died down here? Could he have been killed by kobolds? Maybe they have lived down here." She said as she turned to Calli and Iulia.
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Haruf doesn't detect any traps nor does he hear anything on the other side of the door. No other secret doors can be found on the collapsed floor.
Guillaume illuminates the room. There is nothing else among the kobolds or the debris.
Kobolds are creatures of the dark, found most commonly in enormous underground warrens or the dark corners of the forest where the sun is unable to reach. Due to their physical similarities, kobolds loudly proclaim themselves the scions of dragonkind, destined to rule the earth beneath the wings of their great god-cousins, but most dragons have little use for the obnoxious pests.
While they may speak loudly of divine right and manifest destiny, kobolds are keenly aware of their own weakness. Cowards and schemers, they never fight fair if they can help it, instead setting up ambushes and double-crosses, holing up in their warrens behind countless crude but ingenious traps, or rolling over the enemy in vast, yipping hordes.
Kobold coloration varies even among siblings from the same egg clutch, ranging through the colors of the chromatic dragons, with red being the most common but white, green, blue, and black kobolds not unheard of.
"Well, what are we waiting on? It's probably even darker below, so I will lead the way. Suiting action to words, Guillaume heads down to the next level, closely followed by his companion.
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Guillaume and Mira lead the party down the newly lit staircase. At the foot of the stairs, the party has reached a barracks. The walls of this chamber have buckled precariously in several places, and masonry and dirt are scattered across the floor. The collapse above plainly caused this structural damage. The dry-rotted frames of five simple beds lie against the north and south walls. To the southwest, the room broadens into a larger chamber. A rusted, grinning iron statue stands in an alcove in the north wally between the two wings of the room itself, and in the wall to the south is an old iron door.
From the western wing, a pair of giant centipedes, ravenous with hunger scurry out to attack their new found guests.
Centipedes pin point legs tap along the stone floors as they head toward the party. One closes on Kale and on Haruf and try to take a bite out of them.
Venom burns the wound around the bite mark causing your hands and fingers to stiffen up.
One centipede races forward but just headbutts Kale's armor, nearly bouncing off it. The second one catches Haruf off guard and sinks his long pincers into his arm.
Kale quickly twisted the halberd around and aimed to bring it down on the Centipede's head.
"Bugs... why did it have to be bugs?!" She asked
Directing Mira to attack the massive arthropod, Guillaume draws his longsword and strikes at the front.
If the above is successful: Bite Attack: Damage
Claw Attack: Damage
Claw Attack: Damage
Guillaume attack: damage
Crit confirm: damage
In his excitement, Guillaume forgot he was speaking Druidic, which Mira (not being a Druid herself) doesn't speak. While he was able to graze Centipede #2, she merely stood back, hackles raised, making angry sounds.
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Calli whiffs as the Centipede dips down easily from her flying fist.
Kale's tries to squash the Centipede with the hammer end of the halberd. Alas she's unable to get through its tough carapace.
With weapon already drawn, Guillaume whistles Mira into action. The great cat looks up at the druid and begins to lick its paws. The elf moves into the fray and jams his blade between the Centipede's eyes thus killing the creature.
Battle pig headbutts the fallen bug.
Enjoying the taste of Haruf, the Centipede attempts to bite him again!
A look of consternation on his face, Guillaume shakes his head at the recalcitrant feline, then moves to the still-living centipede and strikes at it with his longsword.
Attack:
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The centipede rises up to try and bite again. Calli delivers a ridge hand to its underbelly, stunning it for a moment. Guillaume quickly cross slashes the centipede causing to fall down dead.
Besides what has already been described, there is nothing else of note in the room. The only exit is a single old iron door to the south.
Glancing around the room for any more centipedes, something about the statue catches Guillaume's eye. "Wait a minute. That looks like blood on the front of that statue." He moves to take a closer look.
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Haruf takes a moment to breathe after the centipedes fall, finally saying That centipede bite really hurt. I think I won't be leading the line from now on. He quickly glances at Kale and decides not to play the coward. He adds unless someone would heal me...
Noticing the iron case among the ruins, Haruf's curiosity speaks loudly and he goes over and starts studying it.
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"Oh my! What a kerfluffle" Catching sight of the daggers Iulia oooohs. "Well those are pretty. Maybe they were use to sacrifice some poor souls! Think of it... maybe we're standing right on the site of an old cult."
While listening to Harkuf's groan over his aches and pains Iulia's eyes light up. "You know dear, towns right there. You could just scoot over and ask the local gods for some divine intervention. I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige. Unless your one of those silly atheists, that is."
"Say, Sefka, you're the local knife expert. What are those weird notches? I've heard of notches in the back of a blade for sawing and the like, but the flat? What purpose would that serve?" Not waiting around for an answer, Guillaume goes to the "statue", looking to see if there is some way to discover the source of the bloodstains.
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Haruf looks at Iulia scornfully and says I don't think the local cleric would cure me just fore asking nicely as he makes a mockery of a friendly face. Maybe he would invite me for a cup of wine, while he's at it.
He, then, turns to Guillaume.
Well, Lee-on, what I know of knives is that they hurt. They could be writings. People that like books can be interested in reading this. Anyone here likes books?, he asks to no one in particular.
"That said love, these are nice knives. You might want to take and use them." Kale said as she crossed her arms. "Though I will second Calli's statment. Something ugly went on down here... very ugly..."
Stooping to pick the key out of the detritus, Guillaume pauses, staring at the peculiar pattern of teeth and valleys. "Say, does this remind anyone else of the grooves on those knives? Could they be some sort of strange key? I don't remember anyone doing that, but we were all dead for a long time. Maybe people do that these days." He shrugs. "At any rate, you might as well hang onto them, spider. Then again, that makes 10 arms, so now you're a centipede yourself, aren't you?" Guillaume chuckles at his own joke.
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Silently Haruf inspects the old iron door and determines its safe to proceed.
On the other side of the door, there are numerous jail cells that line these long abandoned corridors. Each of their solid iron doors hangs ajar and include both a peephole at eye level, covered with a piece of sliding metal and a smaller slot for food and water at floor level. The corridor to the east is caved in, while the one to the west winds off into the darkness.
Kale looks at the paths Calli points out. "Should we check out these hidden doors first? Might be something worth while in them if they wanted them to be hidden." She said as she scanned the room they where in, remaining vigil.
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The two hidden doors form a corridor between each other. There are more smaller cells and two larger rooms that may have been guard quarters by the dilapidated furniture that occupies them. Passing the midway point of the corridor, the party is shocked and stopped by a voice that resonates from behind one of the cell doors. A pale face appears at the door's window, and filthy hands grip the bars. The desperate face immediately calls out to the group.
"Oh gods, kind faces! Aroden bless you, noble souls! I ain't seen the jailers in ages, I think they forgot about us! We ain't eaten in days and the water's all but gone.
"My couins're both sick. I swear we'd give back the boar if we could, but we ate it, starvin' we was. We didn't even know it was the the baron's lands, didn't know we was poachin'! I beg you, we're all gonna die in here! Kindness, noble souls, we've suffered awful! Good Baron Sarvo wills it!"
Frowning, Guillaume approaches the prisoner, digging his waterskin from his pack and filling it with a quick cast of create water. Cautiously passing it to the man, he says "Certainly my good man, but tell us, how long have you been down here? The new baroness said her husband died years ago, and made it sound as though the tower was a ruin even then. Was he this Baron Sarvo? Have you been trapped down here even longer?" Guillaume asks, growing suspicious of the local nobility's motives. Hadn't the Lady mentioned Hunclay wanting to tear down the tower, and that she had forbidden it?
"Haruf, think you could ge-" Kale started speaking to her lover till the cell door swings open. "Huh... nevermind..." She muttered before slowly taking a step into the cell looking around for the prisoner. "Hello?"