The girl steps out completely from her hiding spot and slowly begins to shuffle towards the group. "It was kobolds! They took the children. It was so scary!" She stops halfway to the group, and falls sobbing violently.
"Kobolds? How long ago did this happen? How many of them were there? How did you get away?"
Stopping his rapidfire questions only when it looks as if he might be overwhelming the poor girl, Chalen offers a rare smile and holds out a piece of trail ration. "You must be hungry."
The girl skitters forth, you can see that her dress is dirty, soiled, and torn. Her shoulder is scarred and cut. She scampers forward and quickly snatches the piece of food out of Chalen's hand. She eats it greedily.
"I was hiding. I wasn't with the kids. But I saw the kobolds take them. A whole bunch of kobolds. Like 20."
"Do you think you could show us where?" 20? I hope she’s exaggerating.
To the group, "Do the rest of you think the house is worth searching?"
Oso nods and starts searching.
Louinor slowly walks up to the girl as she greedily eats the food Chalen gave her "Have you been here since this place burnt down? You should come with up and we will return you to town, you should not be living out here by your self."
The girl keeps an eye on Oso as he kicks and rummages through the rubble. "Yes, I use to live in the orphanage, but Miss Elara told us that town was bad. So after the fire, I got scared, I don't know what to do."
She continues to eye Oso. "There is nothing left. The fire burned all my toys, all my friends, even Miss Elara."
*********
As Oso digs and kicks through the rubble notices an intact trapdoor leading down. The lock is melted and disfigured, but the wood is pliable. A good kick, hammer, or axe blow ought to split it wide open.
Kobolds! Of course it's kobolds. Now why didn't I see that?
Fearing that where there's a trapdoor, there's a trap, Bobek loosens his longspear from his back and holds it at the ready.
"Careful now! If what this girls says is true, some of these lizard critters could be hidin' in there..."
"There's nothing to worry about now child. See, Pokey isn't worried"
Chalen has his familiar dance on its back legs.
While she is occupied, he unslings and loads his crossbow.
"Let’s not get too sidetracked by curiosity, now."
The child reaches up gently pointing at Louinor's beautiful holy symbol, but pulls her hand away sheepishly. "Sorry, thats real pretty."
She looks back at Chalen, "I am not worried. I just don't want to see my burned friends." To reinforce this she hugs closer to Louinor as Bobek and Oso stand near the trapdoor.
Louinor gently puts her hand on the child's shoulder and hugs her to her side "It OK I will stay with you, you don't have to see any of your friends."
"Let's see if there's anything holed up down there."
Bobek will listen at the trapdoor.
All is silent beneath the trapdoor.
Malleon will ready his bow again, and keep watch to the north, along the line of the kobold tracks.
"Bobek, I'll keep watch while you search the ruins."
Spot [3+3=6]
Listen [13+3=16]
"Oso, I've got a crowbar in my pack if you want to force that trapdoor open." Malleon calls over his shoulder while he continues to scan the perimeter to the north.
"Is this girl one of the mission children, or simply a foundling from the orphanage?"
Chalen Tucks his familiar back into the folds of his cloak.
"While you occupy yourselves with the door, I'll be keeping an eye out in case the kobolds decide to return."
Go to Listen (17), Spot (8).
Oso swops to sword and shield.
"This fire old and you been here many days. How you still here, little one? Where you been living? food? drink?" Oso is in two minds about all this, something is off.
"Bobek, what you hear?"
"Bobek, what you hear?"
"Not a peep, big fellow. You want to smash this old lock for us? Could be a clue down there to what happened here..."
Or could be a vault full of valuables nobody's come to claim...
The black-skinned warrior borrows a crowbar from Malleon and twist at the trapdoor lock. He puts plenty of effort into it.
After he hands back the bar.
The girl looks up. "My name is Jeva. I was an orphan, but after the fire I did not know what to do. Miss Elara told us to stay away from town, so I stayed here. I eat what I can, sometimes the kids in town bring me food. It is not too bad." She starts crying, "I am sorry I did not come tell someone the kobolds took the kids."
Chalen:
*************
Oso you easily break the trapdoor open. The stench of rot belches forth from this rank cellar. It is too dark to see down there, but there is a ladder that descends.
"Gods, what is that stench? Oso, hold up a second, I will get you a light. If something happens to you, I'm not taking care of these horses."
Chalen fills the lamp with oil and hands it to Oso.
Oso uses the lamp to illuminate farther into the hole. The ladder descends about 5 feet. Within is a small basement, perhaps 10 ft by 10 ft. Within is a chipped, blood-stained oaken table against the north wall, with all manner of blades and barbed instruments laid out on it. A single pair of rusted shackles is bolted inot the opposite wall, whose bricks are stained in a bloody account of pain and cruelty. The robed corpse of a decomposing woman on the floor is the source of the reeking stench of decay.
Chalen promptly vomits
After wiping his mouth and taking a drink of water, "Well, now we know why they torched the place."
"I think I'll stay up here if you don't mind. Do be careful with the lamp."
"Anyone can follow me down. Chalen, my gasra help keep your stomach strong try some, ha ha ha!"
Oso goes down into the room with the light which he immediately places somewhere high. He doesn't seem to mind the stench so much. He realises something.
"Chalen smells worser down with me. You will lose breakfast too if you come. This is fine home for hauntings. Louinor perhaps this is best for you? I shall begin to Search the area but leave you the bad body."
Fighting past the stench, Oso desends into the small cellar. This area obviously served as a gruesome torture chamber of some sort. On the table amidst the bloody bladeds, you find two beautifully crafted silver daggers, and a pouch full of dried herbs.
"This is fine home for hauntings. Louinor perhaps this is best for you? I shall begin to Search the area but leave you the bad body."
"I am afraid I promised Jeva I would stay with her but do not fear I will come if the corpse attacks you."
Louinor turns to Jeva asks in as motherly voice she can muster "Jave darling did you know about that room? What was it for?"
"This is fine home for hauntings. Louinor perhaps this is best for you? I shall begin to Search the area but leave you the bad body.""I am afraid I promised Jeva I would stay with her but do not fear I will come if the corpse attacks you."
Louinor turns to Jeva asks in as motherly voice she can muster "Jave darling did you know about that room? What was it for?"
She pulls down a strap on her ruined dress to reveal her shoulder. It is scarred, cut, and criss-crossed with painful looking incisions. "Miss Elara knew we had the taint of the Hollow in us. She tried to cut it out." She stops sensing the look in Louinor's eyes. "But she did it to help us, really!" Tears renew at the corner of her eyes.
Oso stops and listens carefully. His face shows a certain disappointment at Louinor not dealing with the corpse.
Then he waits to see who, if anyone, joins him in this mess.
Bobek grimaces at the stench. "Hmm... Something bad happened here."
Oso is glad of the company and Bobek sees a mouth full of white teeth grinning back at him.
"You want the woman's body, please. I do not wish to bring back the dead."
Malleon continues to watch the perimeter of the burned ruins with his bow ready, trying to ensure that nothing, kobold or otherwise, sneaks up on us.
Bobek's mouth opens in horror as a gigantic spider lunges from a dark corner of the cellar, launching itself at Oso's back!
The spider latches onto the back of Oso's calf. Its dark fangs sever flesh as it pumps its searing poison into its prey. The lamp light shines dangerously off of its chitin shell, and its legs, all hairy 8 of them, dig in and attempt to pull Oso down.
Visibly shaken, Chalen fires his crossbow in an attempt to drive the horrid beast from Oso's leg, but the hurried shot goes astray.
1d20(rolled 3)+2(dex)-4(firing into melee)= 1
Visibly shaken, Chalen fires his crossbow in an attempt to drive the horrid beast from Oso's leg, but the hurried shot goes astray.
1d20(rolled 3)+2(dex)-4(firing into melee)= 1
Bobek unleashes an arrow from his shortbow, hoping to hit the beastly arachnid.
The Spider will attempt to rip into Oso again, its vicious, venomous mandibles clacking hungrily.
Oso's go.