As Natasha inspects the door, a bolt whizzes past her - if she hadn't just crouched down to look closely at the floor level, she'd probably have been sprouting it in her left side.
Still unaware of the attack, she kept working.

Jeremiah on the other hand wasn't caught completely flat footed. Spinning rapidly to the left (south) he saw a small window open in the end door. A moment later and a second bolt screamed through the air at Natasha, but once more luck favoured her and the bolt missed.

Thinking on his feet Jeremiah crouches between Nat and the shooter, using his shield to cover them...

The crossbow disappears from the small window. A few seconds later another loaded crossbow replaces it, aims quickly, and fires. The bolt shoots forth and embeds itself in Jeremiahs shield, justifying his protection of the still unaware Natasha... (yes, she really was THAT surprised!)

By the time Jeremiah can recover from the impact and peer over the top of his shield, the crossbow has disappeared....

Casually inquires "How's it going with that door there sport? Open yet?"

Natasha may cease searching for traps, etc and use the key, or try something different....

In the meantime, a loaded crossbow reappears....

Wisely decides to try the key at this point - bugger the traps!
Shoves it in any vaguely key shaped orifice (make of that what you will) and rotates it

It's a tough choice for Natasha with Jeremiah squatting with his arse just inches from her face, but in the end she chooses correctly, inserting the key into the keyhole and twisting. The mechanism grinds (clearly in need of some oil) and the door is pulled open to the right (can't use it for cover to the south AND stand in the doorway).
The crossbow fires, a bolt slicing through the air and impacting in the now open door.

Through the door is another door much like the first, standing just a few feet past it. This one though stands open, revealing a square room approximately thirty feet to a side and furnished with a wooden table and three chairs. A single cot with a straw mattress is against the right wall and a weapons rack against the left containing three long swords, two halberds and a dagger.

On the table is a pair of dice, a well worn pack of playing cards, three empty (and dirty) tin plates and three tin cups. An almost empty water skin hangs from the back of one chair.

All run in, close the door behind, and start inspecting the room.
Nat picks up the cards and Jer the skin, and finally Nat inspects the table for compartments while Jer dismantles the mattress in the middle of the room

Besides the obvious, only one flask marked with a "H" is found under the mattress.

Jer grabs the H potion and does a final check of the table
Nat says "I have a plan... I'll go invisible and sneak up on the bugger all ninja like; get close as can be, then pop 'im inna face with my little friend"
She meaningfully cocks her crossbow... and ventures off

Natasha uses the ring and turns invisible, cocks and loads her crossbow and sneaks as carefully as she can down the southern passageway.
The tiny window is so small that for any chance of a successful hit, she needs to be within ten short feet. Reaching that distance she raises the bow, aims and fires!
Unfortunately even at this point blank range, the bolt misses it's target, embedding in the heavy wood just an inch from the opening.

A moment later, with Natasha visible as the day she was born (but not quite so defenceless) the crossbow on the other side retaliates! Their bolt shoots through the air, not striking her, but so close it removed some of her hair!

In the heartbeat or two it takes for Natasha to recover from the near miss, the small window has been closed with a solid wooden shutter.
Now that the immediate danger has been blocked, she has time to glance around her. Each door in the passageway is constructed the same - all appear to be gaol cells with small shutters closing off an observation window.

She goes invisible again and checks the nearest observation window, wasting no time. Meanwhile Jeremiah travels to the upper corridor and check the door on the wall facing the left hand side of the map.

Nat and Jer progress, through the door on the west face of the north corridor...

Brutus, Prudence, Jeremiah, Natasha and Jeremiah's sole suviving follower are finally reunited after what feels like several hours waiting in sumptuous surroundings. The three waiting were disarmed but retained their armour and other possessions (including wands, spell books, components, and the like).
Although the three fake slink buyters have retained most of their posessions, they didn't enter with full adventuring equipment (for obvious reasons) with much of the heavier gear left behind wiht Joan.

At this very moment the five member party is in a 30x30 room with four doors - one in the centre of each wall. A large mushroomlike fungus is in each corner. All doors are constructed like prison cell doors with small shutters on the other side blocking a barred window. The door opposite that which the party entered has three locks.

Currently the party is at the souther door which voices have been heard on the other side of. How to proceed is the current question.

zzzzzip zip zip zip ziiiiip......

Natasha also makes funny fast - forwarding noises, and moves about jerkily...

"By golly! I do believe we are in The Future!"

"You appear to be right, Jeremiah! It's a brave new world..."

The events of the past few posts incurred a suitably dramatic orchestral soundtrack, which is now punctuated  by reality, and fades to an embarrassed humming, before finally dissipating with a sound best described as 'pfft'.

Jeremiah turns to the party, who react varyingly with blatant admiration, confusion and in at least one case, borderline suspicion.

"Well, I do believe we have a bootload full of booty and a bonanza of magical trinkets to identify and potentially hock. I feel like donating large sums of money; Don't you, Natasha?"

Natasha is pulled out of a monkly reverie (or daydream, it is undisclosed).

"My thoughts exactly, cheif!"

"And also, let us make the right and proper procedures to get our kit back, by Jove! - Jeremiah; you are a wonderful charismatic individual with pearly ehite teeth; you lead. I will accompany, and I wish to take this opportunity to cordially invite Joan to round off the group on this mini-expedition, while the other bold adventurers count moneys and identify gear"

"I agree we should take whatever steps are required to recover what is ours. If the caravan wants us to be anything more than passengers, they will have to wait until we have all our belongings! Of course, we will do so as speedily as possible. Perhaps we should divide up what we have...which is?"

A very good question, and one Jeremiah or Natasha is well placed to answer, having taken responsibility for the accounting....

"W- Wit just a second, guys" stutters Natasha - "we have a register to consult"

One of the more funny voices in the sky mumbles irately and sorts through his notes... you hear the faint sound of paper rustling, as if from very far away...

Natasha and Jeremiah duck off into a corner and the rest of the party hear murmuring and observe a hurried search of pockets, chests and other orifices

At last (like 1 hour later) Jeremiah's face becomes a bold, cheerful smile, and he and Natasha stand back from what is now a very organised and valuable looking assortment of gear laid out on the floor of their room at the Inn...

"Ahem," He announces.

"We have, as spoils of the art of righteous violence;

3 x 20 GP (peon guards)
1 x Potion (ditto)

'H' potion (desk of crossbow man)

1x Potion,

pile of electrum, 2 x pearls, 1x potion 1x scroll (vegetable monster)

flametongue - good times - , plate, shield, dagger, want, dainty underwear (Elfie's kit)
halberd (elfie's lackey)

gold, platimum, random gems (lockers)
three gems (last locker)

gems x 5, gp x 80, funky dice lookin' jobbie (smallish grotty room)


not sure what was there - smudged - (chest under bed, chickie-babe's room)

3 x gems (bedroom w/ 1 bed)

cloak, dagger, gems (burning man)
leather, mace, ring (chickie-babe)

gold, potions x 3 (chest)
scroll, copper (left), potions x 2 (chest)
electrum, gems, hand axe (chest)
copper (left), lights x 5 (chest)
silver (left), cloak, scroll (chest)
gold, ring, necklace (wraith chest)"

"Then the cool voice was absent for a bit, and Brutus picked some kit up, I believe..."