The dogs watch Natsume's shield going up and down according to strange laws of physics that the world has not correctly mastered, but in the end things turn out fine.
The dogs starts moving around--
--until the grate comes up, spending one action in trepidation, and then they come to get fresh meat!
• The dog drooling blue saliva tries to bite Giggett's left foot--
--and then her right foot!
But the dog ends up being quite interested in the mud and turnip leaves stuck to her shoes, and it just licks that.
• Then, the dog that has yellow smoke coming out of its ears tries to bite Natsume's left foot--
--and then her right foot!
But the dog first bites its own tongue and--
YELPS!
--then its tongue is so fat it cannot get a good grip on the other foot.
• Now, the dog with an orange colored tongue tries to rush past the companion in front of him, and then tumble through Giggett's legs--
--as it starts to dive through the gnomette's thighs: Natsume tries to hit it!
If Natsume does not slay it there and then--
--the dog goes flying through Giggett's space, which is quite disturbing, having a furry animal invade your privacy.
And then it sinks its jaws into her butt!
Taking a BIG bite of tender gnome flesh!
• Finally, the dog with red eyes, tries to do like orange tongue did, but through the tall human's legs--
--but the dog did not see the human was not that tall in the end, and it bounces back against the warrior's knees.
This dog is a stubborn dog, so it tries again--
--but to no avail!
The dogs are panting, some happier than others.
But they seem somewhat happy that all this was happening in full light!
Giggett--
Dragh--
Giggett raises her own shield as a reflex when she got surrounded.
"Natsume, if you can get the one behind me! It bites hard!"
Then, turning to the dog:
"You bloody bastard, let's put a tiny spark of intelligence in your head."
Giggett waves her arms around, extending each of them in the directions of the dogs flanking her as electric energy bursts from her hands to their head.
"On it!
She swirls her flail and--
--almost definitely misses!
The blue-ish dog's tail touches the metal grate, and when it is hit right in the face by the electric arc, you see the current run up and hit the metal and--
--the dog totally vaporizes!
It will no longer be hungry.
The orange-ish dog simply opens its mouth to catch the electric arc, thinking it is food--
--and, zapped, drops down, not moving.
Dragh steps forwards stopping before the slippery surface and takes aim at the dog... Seeing that he has no clear shot he let go the crossbow and extends his hand towards the closer dog.
He reaches for the simplest of magic finding his arcane connection, with one dwarven word lightning jumps from his finger on the closest of dogs and jumps on the second.
Dragh moves to the end of the corridor, and peaks around the corner, getting an eye on the two dogs.
The electricity arcs between both, hitting the first one hard--
--and grazing the other dog as it manages to avoid some of the hurt.
Natsume--
Tamerius--
Natsume, happy that this is going reasonably well, steps forward, flail swinging. "You can leave the rest to me! Go find the guy!"
Natsume steps forward, flail a-swingin'.
The yellow dog’s head is caved in by the first attack and Natsume steps forward but the red dog avoids her blow and remains the only dog standing.
Tamerius—
Tamerius draws his crossbow and reloads it.
Hold the line.
The remaining hound goes into a biting frenzy, first trying to bite, then actually succeeding in biting Natsume--
--taking a small part of her thigh.
Before trying, in vain, one last time.
It is frothing at the mouth and very excited, barking away like crazy.
Does this dog know it is mortal? Does it believe it can prevail?
Giggett--
Dragh--
"Leaving the rest to you so you can get all the fame? Dream on!"
Giggett moves behind the remaining dog, trying not to attract its attention. She then aim precisely between the legs...
piercing damage + piercing precision damage.
And kicks his balls good bye!
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You all realize Giggett has some sexual insecurities as she attacks the dogs genitalia... and puts the dog down by piercing its scrotum.
Dragh and Tamerius tighten their thighs a bit... and look around--
--all seems quiet, in the flickering torch light.
The corpses of the four dogs bleed away.
Dragh steps slowly through the slippery surface and looks through the room, hoping to find any clues or treasures. He tries to be silent and does not stand in front of the open doors.
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The door you came through is open since you left it like that.
The door on the opposite side is closed.
Dragh starts looking around the room, but finds nothing at all.
There are only lots of barrels and crates finds.
But they seem all empty, save for some old packing straw and scraps of cloth.
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"Maybe should we take some time to heal, most of us are hurt, save from Dragh the Unscathed. Also, it must be close to an hour that you healed yourself and Natsume, Tamerius, so it may be good to try again?"
Giggett looks at the system which opened the gate to the dogs. Is it a type of trap?
"Dragh, maybe can you look at the alchemical reagents on the ground? Looks like we have found our alchemist, in case we were still doubting."
Giggett also takes some time searching the room with Dragh. She's a bit annoyed he found nothing at all.
And she looks at the last unopened door. Is it heavy enough to stop the sound of howling dogs?
It's been less than a half an hour at the very most since you healed up outside the main door.
Giggett sees that the grate is raised by some chain system, that disappears into the ceiling.
She sees no traps.
The door is sturdy, but not sound proof, no.
She joins Dragh, and looks around for a while going through the crates.
This take some minutes to do well.
She finds nothing at all.
"I would gladly do so, but I lack any alchemist equipment to properly identify the potion."
Tamerius looks for tracks and inspect the crates with Giggett.
I prefer to intervene when I'm really needed. I'm not sure we have 10mn ahead of us.
Says Tamerius
Natsume looks uncomfortable.
”Aren’t we letting him get away by standing around and talking?” she asks.
Tamerius sees nothing in all the empty boxes either.
Dragh has a look at what was poured out on the ground.
It seems like grease, but with some kind of alchemical compound.
Natsume's cannot see anything near the door or in front of the cages that would make the chain raise.
She is not sure, but it seems like it was raised by some system.
"Get away? How? I have great doubts there's a second exit to this place. It's way below the ground, and from the tracks we have followed around the house, there was no sign of another series of them showing an emergency exit. No, I think he's trapped. But the fact that he could have raised this door is interesting... It would explain why I haven't found anything..."
Giggett starts searching for a way to look at the room the characters are in. If he raised the door at the proper moment, it means he has ways to know the proper moment.
She also looks at the chains to know in what direction they are going, which is the direction of the mechanism to open the door.
Giggett sees a slit in the closed door, the one they did not enter through.
The chains go up into the wall above the grate, so you see nothing.
But they do not come out towards the door you entered.
"You were right, Natsume. Sorry for not understanding as fast as you did. Honestly, I'd love to put a heavy thing on the trap door in the house and wait a few days to see what he'll lack first between water, food, air and oil..."
Lets continue deeper.
Says Tamerius who looks for tracks
Tamerius looks at the tracks, and starts to become dizzy...
He rubs his temples, and starts to explain: "A year ago, a man came through here carrying something heavy on his shoulder..."
After a couple minutes of detailed explanations as to how often the man takes which dog out for a pee, it becomes clear to you that the man, a big man with big feet, who lives or at least spends a lot of time here, is currently behind the door or that ways - the freshest tracks lead that way.
And Giggett's plan would not work at all, for, in effect, the dogs are taken out daily, but through that closed door.
Also, the man comes and goes mostly through the closed door.
So there probably is some other exit.
That is used for the dogs, and mostly by the man, vs. the way you came in.
Lets continue, if he stayed, he will wait for us. If he decides to fight, lets go give him what he's looking for.
You all feel a chill down your spine when Tamerius checks those tracks.
All he could read!
You imagine few Halflings escaped...
"Ok, let's go, we waited too long."
Giggett gets to the door, checks it quickly and then opens this door with shield raised and rapier drawn.
The slit is blocked by a wooden shutter on the other side.
It is just a narrow slit to look out.
And it has been closed, and secured.
The door does not move.
It is locked.
There are actually two locks. Though not very complex.
Or it could be forced open by kicking at it till the hinges give in.
And then there's your good old bash it down strategy... but the wood itself is very sturdy and quite old.
Oh?
You could also just knock...
"I'll do it, it shall be faster than trying to knock this door down. But Natsume, stay ready, once I've finished, I won't be able to hold the door."
Giggett sheathes her rapier and unstraps her shield. She then removes her gloves and gets her tools out off her backpack.
The second lock is harder. I assume I can retry?
If yes:
Giggett steps out of the doorway, and starts putting her tools back in her backpack, her gloves back on her hands, her shield back on her arm and her rapier at the ready .
Click... the click.
The door unlocks.
Dragh waits with anticipation for the doors to be opened. He holds a loaded crossbow in his hands.
As nothing happens after Giggett unlocks the door, she finishes to prepare herself, and gets back in front of it.
"I'll go first, Natsume. I'm a bit less hurt than you are, it may make a difference."
Giggett raises her shield and opens the door.
The door opens into the Demi-Plane of Negative Energy and you all die.
The door swings towards you, and you see a short hallway, leading into what seems to be the end of a room.
You spot a large steel wheel on the wall.
Most probably what was used to open the grate.
Tamerius tries to hear if someone is on the other side before Giggett go in.
He has his heavy crossbow in hands.
Giggett moves on, shield raised. She waits for everyone to be behind her before making the step to the last square of the corridor.
Tamerius hears nothing...
Tamerius follows last, to keep the rear guard.
Lets find the guy.
Dragh nods to Giggett that he is ready.
Natsume and Giggett slip in first, ready to battle Hallod--
--Dragh comes as support, and Tamerius at the rear making sure no side door opens with dogs or such.
You soon realize, after careful and slow inspection--
--that the place is empty.
This chamber you entered, via the short hallway, first has that large steel wheel on the wall to the north.
You will ascertain that it opens the iron gate to where Hallod keeps his now dead dogs.
You imagine he used the viewing slit in the door to release his guard dogs once he saw you entering.
This room, or groups of rooms is obviously his home.
The place is divided into three areas:
• the larder, the room to the east
• the lavatory, the little place to the south-west
• the living space, where you are now
--and then there is, to the south-east, an open passageway that leads off into darkness...
Who wishes to explore which part?
Or do you press on?
”I can guard the exit while you look around,” suggests Natsume. ”That way if he’s hiding so he can make a break for it, he... well, he’d have to go through me, I s’pose!”
"Let's proceed with caution, you're right. We should take a couple of minutes to see what's here."
Giggett searches the few rooms quickly, mostly his personal stuff.
Dragh begins to look through the living space, hoping to finds clues on what Hallod was up to.
He unloads his crossbow and put it on his back to have free hands to go through things.
Again, Tamerius looks for tracks and clue in the area.
I agree, let's take a look first.
While Natsume guards the exit, the way you just came in, making sure Hallod does not slip right back out--
--you other three look through the living quarters.
The living area is the biggest area, about 20 x 40/45 feet, and it is central.
This area connects to the larder, and to the lavatory, which both seem to be dead-ends.
As well as connecting to the short hallway leading back to the kennel, that Natsume is guarding, and, finally, to the open passageway that leads off into darkness, going on for some distance, before turning.
And the living area is... a mess!
Bits of trash laying on the floor all over...
You see a cot on one side, that Dragh goes to.
Looking around there, Dragh sees nothing in the bed, other than sheets that needed to be washed oh so long ago!
Beside the bed, on a log used as a nightstand, there are a couples candles, and a coin purse.
Looking inside, Dragh counts 2 gp, 8 sp, and 14 cp, all in locally minted coins.
However, the Dwarf Wizard comes up with the real prize to be found here: a strongbox!
It is located underneath the cot, and actually not hard to find.
It is made from stout wood, banded in iron, and closed with a simple lock.
Tamerius looks through some crude wooden racks, that he would be ashamed to have for his slaves faithful servants.
He sees many useless things, nothing of great interest, but does spot some items that could be of use, namely 15 feet of rope, and a hammer.
And Giggett goes down to the bottom end of the room, between the leather curtain leading to the lavatory, and the dark corridor that snakes away.
There, she sees a cooking area, with a crude firepit.
But also a simple chimney that leads up from this room--
--and, when looking up it, she seems to see it must connect to the chimney you saw in the house above.
The firepit has been used very recently, to cook some meat, and the fire is still giving off heat.
There is a whetstone and a dagger on the edge of the firepit.
Giggett tries to determine if the mess around is due to Hallod being messy and dirty or if he made a mess out of his living room when he heard people coming.
Giggett is bored of searching, looks like all the shiny things are found by the others! So, she gets to the strongbox Dragh found and starts analyzing it.
How can she open it?
Is it trapped?
Hallod seems a very tidy person, except for the fact that he does not have a Taldorian butler.
So, yes, it seems clear he is just a... pig.
The strongbox is indeed made from stout wood, banded in iron, closed with a simple lock, and-- trapped.
Giggett spies some sort of spring-loaded needle or spine hidden near the keyhole of the lock.
To open it one would need the key.
If one decides to disobey Golarion property laws, and perform burglary, maybe provoking the ire of the gods--
--one would have to perform three successful difficult Thievery skill checks.