Goodman Games

Yoros is looking at the doors. Do any of them appear to be more heavily used than others? more wear, more 'oiled' where you'd push on it, etc.? Any markings or labels of any sort?

If one looks more heavily used than others, he'll listen at it, and if he hears nothing, he'll open it a bit and peer through...

One does in fact look slightly more used. Opening it for a peek, Yoros finds himself looking out on the sward at twilight. This seems to be the base of the tower.

Maledict opens the others doors to confirm that they all lead outside.

If so, he then walks down the staircase and Sufferus follows.

The sward is outside, with the various entrances into the interior of the elf mound, so you go down the stairs.

The spiral stairway goes down 40 feet through solid stone – a cramped, claustrophobic experience – before emerging into a
40-foot diameter room some 30 feet high. There are colourful banners on the walls, but they cannot hide the heavy stone behind them. You are clearly deep below ground. There is a single door to the west.

The stairway goes no farther.

The sward is outside, with the various entrances into the interior of the elf mound, so you go down the stairs.

The spiral stairway goes down 40 feet through solid stone – a cramped, claustrophobic experience – before emerging into a
40-foot diameter room some 30 feet high. There are colourful banners on the walls, but they cannot hide the heavy stone behind them. You are clearly deep below ground. There is a single door to the west.

The stairway goes no farther.

Han will assay to find pitfalls that would threaten a bold approach to the door, by carefully approaching, inspecting the walls, floor and ceiling as he does so. He then inspects the door, as well.

If all looks safe, he will try the door.

If he can determine it is somehow locked and not just barred from the other side, he will attempt to pick the lock.

All seems safe, and the door is not locked, so Han opens the door onto a barrel-vaulted hallway, 20' wide. He can see a door to the right and left (north and south) within the range of the torchlight, and the hallway continues on beyond.

"Food upstairs, probably means people here. Let's be safe", says Sufferus.

He raises an eyebrow towards Han, to see if he wants to scout ahead.

Han nods, silently takes the hint, implying quiet would be a good idea, too.

Yoros snuffs loudly, and then catches on -- after the dirty looks.

Han proceeds down the stairs with caution and as observantly as possible. He doesn't want to slow progress to a snail's pace, but if anything is sticking out of place or looks like it could conceal something, he'll take the time to investigate it.

Raven_Crowking wrote:All seems safe, and the door is not locked, so Han opens the door onto a barrel-vaulted hallway, 20' wide. He can see a door to the right and left (north and south) within the range of the torchlight, and the hallway continues on beyond.

What stairs is Han going down?

Raven_Crowking wrote:

Raven_Crowking wrote:All seems safe, and the door is not locked, so Han opens the door onto a barrel-vaulted hallway, 20' wide. He can see a door to the right and left (north and south) within the range of the torchlight, and the hallway continues on beyond.

What stairs is Han going down?

Sufferus looks at Han who appears confused by the absence of stairs. He nods towards each of the two doors.

(I think he simply assumed that we were at the bottom of the staircase )

Han realizes what he thought was stairs down, was just a shadow cast against a wall. "Just practicing my hiding in shadows..." he says, feebly.

He makes for the hallway...

Yoros shifts the weight on his shoulders. "Even our friend here thinks that's funny."

As Han moves away, Maledict turns, frowns, and stares into the darkness for a while. "I still dont see the staircase", he says sternly.

As he moves towards the doors, Han gets a glimpse of a second set of doors, north and south, 30 feet away from the first. The hall continues on beyond this. The doors themselves appear to be solid, thick oak, banded with copper and bronze. They are locked.

Maledict signals in Han's direction in a completely unintelligible way. It is unclear whether he is motioning to the doors to open them, warning against opening the doors, or simply trying to shoo flies away from his face.

Han will listen at the first set of doors, each door in turn, hoping to not hear groaning dwarves...

Random roll says, door to the north. No sound is heard, but there is a vile stench, like long rot, coming from this area.

Han pinches his nose, and goes to listen at the South door...

Han presses his ear to the southern door, but hears nothing.

He unpinches his nose.

"Would you be kind enough to unlock one of the doors so we might see what lies beyond?", asks Sufferus with a forced smile.

Assuming he smells nothing too unpleasant, Han will open the south door.

If he needs to pick a lock: 16+9 = 25

Were there two locks: 11+9 = 20

I am assuming that you mean the south door to the east; remember that you also noted another set of doors, north and south, 30 feet away from these. Testing the door proves that, although it has a lock, it is not locked. Han opens the door.

Beyond he sees a 30-foot square room. Three sets of heavy brass manacles hang from the south wall – one holds a naked male dwarf, who dangles with his feet over the floor and whose back is striped red from the whip. The eastern portion of this room contains a rack upon which a victim can be stretched. Old blood stains the floor and the rack.

Brother Sufferus walks slowly up to the dwarf and inspects whether he appears to be living or not: does he breathe, do his eyes move, is the blood on his skin fresh or dried, does his skin move anywhere under his pulse, do his limbs move at all?

The dwarf appears to be dead.