Across a short bridge you find a once well-stocked larder which has been thoroughly ransacked. Bottles, baskets, and sacks are haphazardly piled on the floor. In the middle of the room, a five-foot-wide wicker basket hangs suspended from ropes beneath a hole in the ceiling that leads to the building’s upper story. Another door offers access to another room further on.
The winching mechanism is clever, but not complex.
A potion of minor healing sits among a number of other bottles filled with condiments.
Anabel takes in the room quickly, then points to the door nearby. "Let's keep going through there," she suggests.
Taking Anabel's suggestion, Cage carefully opens the next door, peaking over his shield at what lies inside.
The large kitchen beyond the door is swelteringly hot from a roaring iron stove in the northern corner of the room. Burst bags, shattered jars, copious crumbs, and other food detritus litter the floor and tables. Doors lead out to the west (where you came from) and south which would head back towards your entry tree.
It seems that anyone important must be on the upper levels.
”Up we go,” Anabel says, following Cage with loaded crossbow at the ready!
Cage looks at the winch and scratches his head.
"Maybe...like this?"
It's probably pure chance, but he manages to start hoisting the basket.
Cotton hops into the basket along with whoever else goes first. She's small enough to not add any significant weight - and extremely curious!
Eager to find something more satisfying to burn than bags of flour, Orania follows Cotton into the basket.