Return To The Ruins (Warlords Palace)

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

Kain joins the group at the door. Sniffing, he asks "Do you smell anything? Aren't the snake people supposed to have a distinct smell?"

"They're down here, right? Waiting for a chance to ambush us, most likely. Pity the Maste...damn it. That pigman wasn't able to give us any information."

[OGRE MAGE]

Under The Zakath Desert
Easy Come Easy Go
No Idea On Time Or Day

Drest calls for light and moves in for a closer look. A portion of the party moves down the clear hallway to find another spotlessly clean room filled with tables and chairs, almost like a dining area of sorts. The walls are covered with intricately carved wooden panels and 2 iron-bound doors can be seen in the south wall.

The ever wise Kain moves in claser next, asking about that scent they smelled in here before. Taking a whiff of the stale air himself fills the Clerics senses with more of that tell-tale scent of earth and must. Apparently, Snakemen could indeed be close at hand.

Magda notices the whiskers of her rat Skavi twitching a little more than normal again.

Actions?

Underborea 1 - Copy.jpeg (110.21 KiB) Viewed 457 times

Belloc (M2) FA:0(20) AC6 20/14 Enlarge/Darkness/Enlarge
Taibhse (Sh2) FA:0(20) AC5 11/11 CT Torch
Drest (Sc4) FA:3 AC7 16/22
Xenos (DS3) FA:3 AC5 17/17 CT
Akhilleus [/b] (F4) FA:4 AC4 19/35
Kainaxarthos (C3) FA:2 AC6 17/19
Magda (W2) FA:0 AC9 8/8 Sleep Hooded Lantern
Sik (Ba1) FA:1 AC5 9/12
Cyril (Pr3) FA:1 AC8 12/12 CLW, CLW, DM, HP Torch

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

"There! You smell it? Somethings not right, this place is too clean to smell like that."

He reaches to put a hand on Magda's shoulder. "Don't go in yet. Does your ally sense something?"

[silifi]

Sik sighs and runs to catch up with the party.

[subaltari]

[EDIT]
I don't know, has Skavi smelled snake-men before? He was around the Toad Matron's island for a long time.
Familiars specifically transmit sights and sounds, but the Witch's familar also has an empathic bond. Maybe he can send a "snakey" feeling to Magda.

He reaches to put a hand on Magda's shoulder. "Don't go in yet. Does your ally sense something?"

In a soft voice Magda describes what the rat noticed, then adds "Shall we set a counter ambush now, or withdraw and do it next time?"

[Ahlmzhad]

Taibhse

Coming up he hears the chatter about snake men and setting an ambush. I think we save it and head back as we have planned.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest will hold up his finger to his lips for silence, then he will listen at the doors, SE first.

Discern Noise, 5:12

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril patiently waits, readying his sling for inevitable danger to arise.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"We should go before it gets worse. Our last experience with them wasn't good. We're not at full capacity for a fight right now." He whispers.

[OGRE MAGE]

Under The Zakath Desert
Easy Come Easy Go
No Idea On Time Or Day

As the others urge caution, Drest moves through this empty cafeteria towards the doors on the south wall, hearing nothing from beyond them. Neither appear to have any locking mechanism on them, but one is recessed into the wall a bit more than the other.

Magda tries to connect with her rat Skavi, seeing what the animal sees from his rats-eye-view. Following their Scout towards the southeast corner of the room, the Witch quickly spots the reason for her companions concern. At the base of the wall are a row of 6 small 1" holes. When the rat pokes his whiskers a little closer, it appears that these holes are actually straight tubes above the floor that must connect this room to the one next door.

Skavi's whiskers continue to flicker around nervously as he pokes his tiny pink nose into one of the tubes, wondering if he could squeeze through the hole if necessary.

Actions?

Underborea 1 - Copy.jpeg (110.73 KiB) Viewed 399 times

Belloc (M2) FA:0(20) AC6 20/14 Enlarge/Darkness/Enlarge
Taibhse (Sh2) FA:0(20) AC5 11/11 CT Torch
Drest (Sc4) FA:3 AC7 16/22
Xenos (DS3) FA:3 AC5 17/17 CT
Akhilleus [/b] (F4) FA:4 AC4 19/35
Kainaxarthos (C3) FA:2 AC6 17/19
Magda (W2) FA:0 AC9 8/8 Sleep Hooded Lantern
Sik (Ba1) FA:1 AC5 9/12
Cyril (Pr3) FA:1 AC8 12/12 CLW, CLW, DM, HP Torch

[subaltari]

Do the six holes go through the east wall, the south wall, or the (SE) door itself?

Magda advances far enough to enter the dining room from the west, gives Drest time to finish listening and checking for traps, then beckons him to come back to the hallway. In a huddle with the others she whispers what her mystical rat has found: "...they are one-inch holes, big enough for gases, or rats... or snakes. Skavi is happy to scout one of them before we turn back."

Said named rat inspects this side of the tubes one at a time, discerning if any particular odor or sound comes out of any of them. He trusts his whiskers to tell him if they are indeed too tight for his body to squeeze into.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest moves back to Magda. "Sounds like some sort of trap to me, we should back out before one of us triggers it."

[OGRE MAGE]

Do the six holes go through the east wall, the south wall, or the (SE) door itself?

You can see the tubes through the east wall as black lines on the map, right in front of S. (Skavi)

The rat thinks he could squeeze through with relative ease.

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

"See, I knew I liked you, Magda. A fine head on your body. Those tubes aren't there for fun, I don't want Skavi hurt. But one inch, you say? Not enough for big snakes, but I like your gas idea."

He looks to the others in the huddle. "What do you think? Go for one of the doors, or come back later. I can't tell if the missing book and the open door is a temptation to an ambush or an opportunity for us to get the upper hand."

Kain looks to the appointed leader, Akhilleus (I think), for a decision. "I'm good either way, but now I'm curious about this area and the doors."

[silifi]

Sik stands at the hallway and hisses to his companions in the room. "Get out of there, you're walking into a trap!"

He feels obliged to stay close enough, but after the mention of "gas" he is reminded of the little man with his lamp oil, and internally debates leaving them behind.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest will join Sik just outside of the room for now. "Best to plan away from the trap for now."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"Let's go back to town. We can satisfy our curiosity when we're here again. Or maybe someone will have done it for us, and we will see the consequences of tripping that trap... In case it's one.

But something tells me this place is way bigger than we think."

[shaidar]

Xenos

"I agree, let's go and return better prepared."

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril, already standing outside the clearly trapped room slowly starts walking back toward the exit from this complex. "Yes yes, time to leave."

[subaltari]

Magda, already in the corridor with the others, nods and sings a little ditty in Thracian:
"This room may once have served food,
But the air may not be good.
Skavi, our friends fear poison gas,
So from here now we shall pass."

At the holes, Skavi's whiskers twitch once more, then he turns and skitters back to the party.