Rolen continues to watch warily, What a midden heap this place has become..."
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Kirian cannot see through the floor, it doesn't have holes in it. It's just sagging in spots and there is the telltale signs of termite damage.
"If that is it, it looks like we got two more rooms on this level," Habbi starts, "Shall we clear them out?"
Lead on, Habbi.
"Sounds good Habbi. Lets go take a look."
Habbi shrugs with a smile and heads off that way, shield at the ready.
Kirian follows the others.
"There's easier ways into the cellar than falling through the floor, I suppose."
Habbi leads the party down the hallway to the end door which he throws open. This room is empty. The only matter of interest is that the quantity of fallen plaster on the floor is significantly greater than elsewhere.
Rolen follows wordlessly, his demeanor giving way to sulking a bit at the complete lack of anything with any sort of vitality or interest and a combination of disgust at the state of the building. The elf fidgets with his shield straps as others investigate the next room.
Habbi looks up at the ceiling, "Something heavy must have fallen up there."
"We should check this last room, before going upstairs," the cleric says as he moves on to the end of the hall.
Kirian, looking at the plaster, then up at the ceiling, "We should be especially careful when we get to this side of the house upstairs. That floor up there could be really weak."
"Though that could be the least of our worries. It might actually make for a quick escape route."
The party moves to the last door and opens it
The only thing of any note in the room is a clump of tiny red mushrooms apparently g rowing out of the floor all around the fireplace in a roughly semicircular formation. Otherwise the room is bare.
Kirian approaches the fireplace with caution to inspect the mushrooms. He gets as close to the mushrooms as he can while keeping a safe distance from the fireplace, remembering what happened yesterday.
As Habbi walks down the hall toward the door, he looks outside the windows, then turns his attention back to the room they are investigating.
"Kirian, do you recognize these mushrooms? Should we burn it with fire?" Habbi grins and adds with a wink, "Fire cleanses all."
Rolen waits.
To Kirian, the mushrooms look natural.
"Easy there, Habbi. No need to burn them. They're just ordinary mushrooms."
Kirian turns his attention to the fireplace with a deep breath.
"Perhaps there's creepy-crawlies in there, but perhaps also more hidden treasure."
He squats into the fireplace slowly and reaches into the chimney with his quarterstaff. He taps around holding the staff with one hand, the other hand poised to throw a fire bolt if there's trouble.
Habbi readies a sacred flame as Kirian investigates, "Okay, but be careful."
Carric stands at thE door with an arrow drawn.
Kirian investigates the Chimney, poking it with his staff. He knocks loose a stone and a small purse falls to the bottom of the chimney.
"Fortune apparently does favor the foolish today!" Kirian says with a grin, pocketing the gem.
"Shall we find out what horrors await us upstairs?"
"Yes, let us head upstairs. We should be wary of the weakening floors," Habbi glances at the ceilings before leading the group up the main stairs.
Kirian walks up to the staircase and begins pushing on the lower steps with his staff to test their integrity.
To Peren, "Peren, are you comfortable with walking up first and looking around? Since you are the lightest of us you can make the least noise and have a quick look around before the rest of us come up. We'll be right behind you if there is any trouble."
"Sure, I suppose. But be ready if I come running back down!"
Peren quietly sneaks up the stairs and has a quick look.
Stealth:
Perception:
Peren climbs the stairs. The stairs creak ominously as you ascend. At the top you reach the gallery which is on the north and west walls of the hall. To east and west the corridor appears to stretch the full width of the house, doors leading off it to the south. Opposite the western portion of the gallery is another corridor leading north.
Kirian follows Peren up the stairs as quietly as possible.
Habbi follows carefully, since it is likely that he is the heaviest of them.
Rolen waves his hand to have everyone go up ahead of him including Carric, content toe watch the flank.
Kirian has a look around the upstairs and quietly looks down the hallway toward the back of the house. It seems awfully quiet at the moment.
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Peren heads off to the right and follows the hallway all the way to the end. He then opens the door and examines the room.
Peren walks to the door at the end of the hallway and tries it. It is either stuck or locked, but for the first time, a door doesn't open when you try to open it.
Carric joins Peren at the door.
So, how are you at opening locks, Peren
"Actually I am quite good. A new skill I just discovered I had. Hmmmm. Let's see...
Open lock:
"Wow! Peren, you could be a locksmith! Anything of interest in there?" Habbi gingerly moves across the creaking floor.
Kirian moves back to join the others.
"Peren, be extremely careful entering that room. That floor is probably very weak."
He listens for noises behind the closed doors as he moves past them and tries to look for signs of movement if he can see light under them.
Peren opens the lock easily enough.
This is a dirty, decayed bedroom and the floor looks rather unsafe. In the far corner lies a man; he is obviously alive, though bound and gagged. He is clad only in undergarments and appears to have no weapons or equipment.
Instinctively, Habbi takes a step forward, but he notices the floor, "How in the heck did he get over there?"
"Hold on, sir! We'll get you out of here," Habbi looks at the others and shrugs, "How are WE going to get him out of there?"
"Let me try...I am the lightest of us.
Perception:
Acrobatics:
"Peren, perhaps you should tie a rope around your waist, and we can either tie it down or hold onto the other end, just in case."
Kirian eyes Habbi and Rolen for the task of holding the rope.
"You can both use it for extra support. That floor really looks bad."
Peren moves through the room and steps in the wrong spot. He falls through the floor with a yelp and takes damage from the fall. The bound and gagged man is trying to shout through his bonds unsuccessfully.
Kirian shouts down through the new hole in the floor, "Peren, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
And looking back up at the strange man, "Please remain calm sir. We'll get you out of here as quickly as we can."
"Ow!"
Peren lays stunned on the floor looking up at the hole in the ceiling.
Rolen peers over the others with a cocked eyebrow, Clearly this place is more rotten than it appears. Maybe Perren can ungag the man before we try any more attempts? He might have information that is helpful to how we need to approach this...
Kirian hands one end of his rope to Habi and Rolen and ties the other end around his waist. He then carefully moves to the other end of the room, staying as close to the walls as he can to avoid weak spots on the floor.
He squats down by the bound man and cuts off his gag with his short sword.
"Easy there. Who are you and how did you get here?"
Rolling over onto his hands and knees, Peren begins to slowly crawl from the room.
"Don't worry about me...I'm ok...good thing that hard floor was there to break my fall...everything is good...just coughing up blood is all...mumble...mumble...
The halfling makes it to the stairs, which he takes slowly, finally arriving at the top in time to see Kirian easily waltz over the damaged floor to the bound figure.
"Sigh...elves make everything look easy..."
Habbi stifles a laugh at the comment about elves as he grips the rope in case Kirian falls, "Careful now."
Rolen takes the rope as he cocks an eyebrow at the rogue's muttering, Of course we do, we have a lot longer to practice.